Face the Music
by mercy-angel-09
Summary: A strange twist of fate brings Kagome face to face with a rogue band leader named Inuyasha, and the biggest chance of a lifetime. Will she crack under the pressure of being a rock star, or can she face the music?
1. Da Capo

Face the Music

Chapter 1: Da Capo (or From the Beginning)

Rating: M - mostly for language

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and company belongs to Rumiko Takahashi et al.

Author's Notes: Well, as some of you may know, I'm sort of notorious for starting things and then not finishing them (ie Repentence and Romancing a Drone). It's been especially difficult since I've finished my sophomore year of college and am now going to be starting my junior year and thus announcing my intended major (which is Education, btw). But the good news is that I do have most of this fic written (ten chapters, w00t!), and I will update every four weeks. As in, once a month, in order to give myself time to write the last chapters, since I'm pretty sure that it's almost done.

This fic was concocted as I was sitting around, trying to fend off the writer's block for Repentece. I then called my best bud, E-chan, and bounced the idea off of her. The end result was this. I've been told that I'm not the first person who's had this idea, so it may seem similar to some other AU fics out there. For that I apologize, but if it makes you feel any better, I did not copy this story, because I simply don't have time to read them anymore, let alone write. My friends can vouch for that.

So read and enjoy!

* * *

The phone had been ringing off the hook all afternoon, so Kagome didn't think much when it rang in the middle of her study session. She figured it must have been one of Sota's friends or another telemarketer. She wasn't expecting her cousin. 

"Kagome, phone," Sota said, handing her the cordless.

Kagome reached for the phone, but Sota pulled away before she could grab it. "By the way, Mom says it's your turn to take out the trash," he said in that obnoxious little brother manner.

"Fine, twerp. Now give me the phone," Kagome answered hotly.

Sota shrugged as he handed her the extension. "Whatever," he muttered.

"Hello, this is Kagome."

"Twerp, huh?"

"Oh shut up Kikyo. Not like you've never called Kaede a snot nosed brat before."

Her cousin laughed good-naturedly. "Now that you mention the worm, that's why I'm calling."

"Oh God, what did she get into?"

"Um, it's not exactly what she got into, it's more like what got into her. Kaede has mono."

"Oh ew. And you have to take care of her."

"That about sums it up."

"So why are you calling me. Do you need me to bring over some chicken soup or something?"

"Oh ha, ha. Listen, I need a favor from you."

Kagome rolled her eyes. She propped her elbows on her desk and stared at her math homework. "What is it," she sighed.

"You know how I have that job at The Mansion?" The Mansion, like as in the super exclusive home of one of Japan's most notorious and rich business man. He'd been born with money, true, but he'd built up his own little empire away from the family money. He'd established himself at an early age to be a shrewd businessman and a great philanthropist. He'd died a year ago, leaving The Mansion to his two sons and his widow.

Kagome was practically drooling. A chance to see The Mansion? In person? Was Kikyo dangling a line in front of her? "Yeah? What about it?"

"Well, I mostly do housework, like cleaning up and dusting and the like. But since I need to take care of Kaede, I can't do that."

"And you want me to fill in?"

"I sorta already told them that you would."

"You're telling me this now!" Kagome shrieked into the phone.

Kikyo laughed. "Sorry, I should have asked you first, but I'm really in a pinch here. I'll let you take my pay and everything! Fair?"

Kagome sighed again, imagining the look on Kikyo's face. It had to be one of pure pitifullness that would make anyone crumble. Curse that girl and her ability to make others bend to her will! "What hours will I have to work?" she asked.

"Just the weekends, and maybe a few hours on a weekday. Nothing too strenuous. It fits in with your school schedule just fine," her cousin reassured her over the phone.

"Tell me again why I want to do this."

"Because you have to be like, the world's greatest cousin, the pay is great, and you get free food to boot. Besides, the sons are really cute."

"Sold!" Kagome said. "I suppose I should tell Mama."

Kikyo chuckled. "It'd be a good idea. Grandpa might object though."

"Grandpa can blow it out his ass," Kagome replied.

"Kagome! Such language!" Kikyo admonished with a smirk.

"This coming from someone who was yelling 'Pull your head out of your ass and call the God damn game!' at the umpire at a baseball game last week," Kagome answered back.

"Okay, you have me on that one. So, you'll do it?"

"Yeah. When's my first day?"

"Tomorrow at three. They'll have a limo to pick you up at two thirty."

"Does it really take half an hour?"

"About fifteen minutes, actually. But the head of the servants might want to look you over first."

"Who?"

"You'll know the little perve when you meet him."

"The proverbial dirty old man?"

"Oh gawd you have no clue."

"Thanks so much for giving me this job," Kagome muttered. "Okay, I have to tell Mama and I guess I'll see you later then. Tell Kaede to feel better."

Kikyo laughed again. "Will do. Thanks a ton, Kagome."

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome said before she hung up. She stared at the phone for a few minutes, contemplating what had just happened. In a matter of minutes she'd been offered the chance of a lifetime. She would get to see The Mansion in person. This house was so exclusive, it rivaled the Imperial Palace and the Chrysanthemum Curtain as far as security and privacy went. And with this job came two gorgeous men. She'd seen the older son, Sesshoumaru, all over the business magazines with the changes he'd been applying to the family business. And he was breathtakingly beautiful. His hair was a pale, pale blond, in fact, it almost looked silver. His deep amber eyes were mysterious and yet very penetrating, as if he could see into your soul and know if you were worth his time. And his well cut good looks. It was enough to make Kagome's heart stop. To work in the house where he lived, her friends would die from envy. And the younger son, she hadn't seen much of him. After their father had died, Sesshoumaru had come into the limelight while the younger brother remained in the shadows. All that was seen of him were a few blurry spots in the funeral photographs. Well, Kagome would see what he was really like and report back to her friends. It would be interesting to see what he was like.

She clutched the phone as she walked down the hall to the stairs and then down to the kitchen. She placed the cordless back its cradle so it could recharge and then looked at her mother, brother and grandfather.

"It was Kikyo," she said. But then again, Sota must have answered the phone so he must have known and told the others.

"What did she want?"

"Well, Kaede has mono," Kagome started.

"Oh, that poor child! I'll make her a get well basket!" Mama said.

"Anyway, there's more to it than that. Kikyo has a part time job at The Mansion and she told them that I'd fill in for her."

"You, work at The Mansion?" Sota asked, his eyes wide. "You're joking!"

"Nope. A limo will pick me up at two thirty tomorrow afternoon to take me to The Mansion to work. I don't know if it's just this once, or if it's for the rest of Kikyo's absence, but I don't see a down side to it. Besides, Kikyo said I could keep what I earn."

"At least she has that much decency," Grandpa muttered.

"Grandpa," Mama scolded softly. "I think this would be a great opportunity for you Kagome. A chance to go out and see what the work world is like. I hope you'll learn a lot from this experience."

Kagome smiled. "Thanks, Mama."

Mrs. Higurashi smiled at her daughter. "Of course dear."

* * *

Later, she sat with her friends and Wacdonald's, happily sharing the news. "Can you believe it! Me, working at The Mansion!" 

Her friend Ayumi grinned. "This will be great! You'll have to tell us all about it!"

"I want to know about the younger son," Eri sighed. "He's so mysterious! I heard that he's horribly disfigured and that's why he never goes out in public."

"I heard that he has a rare disease so he can't go out in public places or he'll die," Yuka said, leaning towards the center of the table where the girls were discussing Kagome's recent turn of fortune.

"Is this a private party, or can anyone join?" a voice asked.

The four girls blinked up at the young man who was standing by their table.

"Sorry Hojo, private party," Eri joked.

"Oh, well, see ya," he said, turning to leave.

"Wait! She was joking!" Yuka said, quickly standing and grabbing the back of his shirt. "Of course you can sit down."

Hojo blushed. "Ah, I knew that. I was just . . . goofing around too." He slid into the booth next to Kagome.

Kagome and Ayumi exchanged a glance that clearly said that he wasn't, and that he had seriously thought that he'd been shunned. "So, what's up in the world of Hojo?" Kagome asked.

He shrugged as he unwrapped his burger. "Not much. Mostly homework."

The girls nodded. "Don't we know it," Eri sighed. "Teachers are so mean!"

"I suppose it's for our well being," Ayumi mused.

"How can a ten page report on the Meiji era be for our well being?" Yuka asked, horrified at the thought.

"So what's everyone else up to?" Hojo asked, trying to make polite conversation. "Besides homework."

"Kagome's going to be working at The Mansion," Ayumi said. "She's going to tell us all about it. I want to know if they have toilets of solid gold."

"That's just a rumor," Kagome said. "Kikyo told me that the bathrooms are pretty normal."

"Working at The Mansion?" Hojo asked, completely surprised. "How did you pull that off? They're very picky about their staff."

"My cousin Kikyo works there," Kagome answered, already tired of explaining how she'd exactly landed the job. "Well, her little sister Kaede has mono so Kikyo asked me to fill in for her. Apparently since I'm her cousin, that's a foot in."

"Take pictures!" Eri said suddenly.

"I can't do that!" Kagome sputtered. "That's their private home! I can't just invade their privacy like that!"

"I bet you could make a fortune off of 'em though," Yuka said thoughtfully as she chewed on a french fry.

"And get myself and Kikyo banned from the place for the rest of our lives?! I don't think so!"

"Okay, just report back to us with all of the juicy gossip," Eri shrugged.

Kagome sighed as she shook her head. "You three are impossible."

"Well it sounds like a great experience," Hojo said suddenly. After Ayumi's little announcement about Kagome's new job, he'd been silent and the girls dominated the conversation.

Kagome smiled at him. At least one of them was somewhat sane. "Thank you, Hojo. So do I."

* * *

The next afternoon, Kagome was seated in the limo, headed for the most exclusive area of Tokyo. Amazingly enough, it wasn't that far away from her old family shrine. The driver was a young man in his late twenties and sociable enough. He filled her in on some of the family workings so she wouldn't be totally lost when she got there. As he turned into the drive, Kagome found herself in awe of the grounds. They had their own grove of cherry trees, which happened to be in full bloom. The sprawling lawns were plush and green and in the middle was the house, built much like a traditional Japanese castle. Kagome fell in love with instantly. 

"Breathtaking, isn't it?" the driver said.

"Amazing," Kagome breathed. "I never thought I'd ever see this place up close."

"I don't know if you'll see the family at all, but you'll know the rest of the household pretty well. We're our own little family," the driver told her.

Once he parked, he opened the door and allowed her to step out. "You'll talk to Myoga first. He'll show you around and tell you what your duties are. If you get hungry, don't worry about finishing the whole job. The family likes to keep their employees happy. And if that means letting us take our time with certain things or giving us impromptu breaks, they do it."

"They sound really nice."

"The Master is a little hard handed, but I've heard he can be very nice. When he wants to be. The Mistress is a wonderful woman, she'll probably seek you out just to meet you. The Young Master, he's in a class all his own."

"Will I know if I see him?"

"You can't miss the guy. Believe me, he stands out in a crowd of thousands."

Kagome nodded as she followed the driver in through the servant's entrance. They entered what she assumed was the kitchen, and at the table was a little old man hunched over what looked like a schedule. "She starts at three . . ." he was muttering.

"Myoga-ji-chan!" the driver called.

"Oh, Toru! You're here with the new girl!" Myoga said as he looked up. He was a short old man who was balding, but a mass of gray hair was growing around the base of his skull and a small moustache on his upper lip. His eyes were friendly as he smiled at her. "Kagome Higurashi, correct?"

Kagome bowed. "I am."

"Fantastic! I'm so happy to meet you. I'm Myoga, the head of the servants. Although, we don't think of our selves as servants. More like an extension of the family that has to do the grunt work."

Kagome chuckled. He was a sweet old buzzard, but if what Kikyo said was true, she'd have to be wary. He had to be the old pervert that she had been warned about. "Kikyo told me a little about what I'd be doing, and Toru was nice enough to sort of fill me on the drive over."

"I hope you don't mind the ride. But the limo was the only vehicle available today. For the rest of your time with us, Toru will pick you up in the Land Rover."

"I don't really care," Kagome shrugged as she sat down across from Myoga. "Should we talk?"

"So responsible and on top of things!" Myoga beamed. "Kikyo was right to say that you'd fit in just fine!"

"Kikyo holds a lot of esteem here, does she?" Kagome asked.

"She's popular, that's for sure. Kind of aloof sometimes, but she's friendly with everyone."

"She always is."

"So, today you'll be helping clean Inuyasha's room . . ."

"He's the younger son?"

"Indeed. His room looks like a war zone at the moment and we're not entirely sure how he manages to live in there, but he does. We just want you to pick up the dirty laundry and get it sorted, send it to the laundry room, and clear any stray dishes that might have taken up residence there. Dust some of the furniture, vacuum the carpets, and sweep the floors, that sort of thing."

Kagome shrugged. "Doesn't sound too bad."

Myoga was about to say something, but they were interrupted when the most beautiful man Kagome had ever seen walked into the kitchen, followed by an elderly fellow that somewhat resembled a toad.

"M'lord, do not forget that you have the meeting that was rescheduled for four this evening!" the toad man was saying.

"I know, Jaken. I haven't forgotten." He was busy filling a glass with water at the sink and turned around to see Kagome staring at him. He sort of half way smiled at her. "You must be Kikyo's replacement."

"Um, yes Sir, I am," Kagome replied meekly.

"Speak up girl, no reason to be afraid." He downed the water in a gulp and then placed his glass in the sink. "Mind your manners, work efficiently, and we'll get along smashingly."

Kagome nodded. "Thank you for allowing me to work here."

He gave her a genuine smiled that made her knees turn to jell-o. "I think I'm going to like you." He left the kitchen, the little toad man following behind.

"Lord Sesshoumaru and his Personal Assistant Jaken. You'll see more of them, I'm sure," Myoga informed her. "By the way, I think you impressed him, despite your rather, um, bland appearance."

"I'm doing housework," Kagome replied shortly. "You don't honestly expect me to wear my best clothes, do you?" She was wearing an old pair of straight-legged blue jeans and a faded tee shirt that had the Metallica logo on it.

"A sense of humor to boot! You'll be liked by everyone, I'm sure you'll fit in just fine," Myoga told her. "I'll take you to Inuyasha's room. But I have to warn you, you might want a radiation suit before you go in."

She followed him up a few flights of stairs and down a hallway to a door that was plastered with road signs and police tape. "A grunge type of guy?" she asked.

Mygoa rolled his eyes. "Sesshoumaru got all of the grace and social elegance."

The door slid open and Kagome nearly fainted. It looked like a tornado had run rampant through the room. Dirty laundry was strewn all over the place, as shown by a pair of blue cotton boxer shorts hanging from a lamp. Random dishes were stacked wherever there had been a free space before, and a fine layer of dust rested on the few free surfaces there were left.

"He lives in this?" she asked incredulously.

"How we're not entirely sure. Sesshoumaru has a theory that he's some sort of mutant, but of course the Mistress doesn't let that excuse fly."

Kagome nodded. "I guess that I'll start."

Myoga nodded. "Good luck. You'll need it."

Kagome looked at the room, trying to determine where to start. Deciding that the fuzzy dishes needed to be the first thing to go, she went back to the kitchen to gab a tub that was used for bussing the dinner dishes from the table. She'd also grabbed a pair of the rubber gloves from under the sink, knowing that she was going to be touching what she was sure at least ten new species of mold.

Once the dishes were returned to the kitchen, much to the kitchen staff's chagrin, she decided to start in on the laundry. First she cleared all of the clothes from someplace other than the floor, creating a pile nearly four feet high in the center of the room. Then she began to sort them by heavy fabrics, like denim, and lighter fabrics, like cotton. From there, they were divided into relative color piles; dark, light and whites. She shoved what had to be close to thirty loads down the laundry chute at the end of the hall to laundry room.

At least he had a floor, dresser, desk and bed now. But the aforementioned pieces of furniture weren't clean yet. It was as she was deciding on how to tackle the bed that the room's owner walked in . . .

. . . And cursed a blue streak a mile wide before turning to her. "What in the name of all that is holy in the land happened here?!"

Kagome turned around and face the enraged young man at the door. His hair was wet and he was just wearing a pair of faded blue jeans with holes in the knees. But his hair caught her eye. It was the same pale, silvery blond that Sesshoumaru had, but instead of being one solid and beautiful shade, there were streaks of vibrant blue through out it. Toru wasn't kidding, you could spot him in a crowd of one thousand, easily. His furious amber eyes were focused on her, demanding explanation.

"I'm cleaning your room," she answered shortly.

"But where's Kikyo?" he sputtered as he walked across his floor to the dresser.

"Her little sister has mono so I'm filling in," Kagome answered. The sheets were in need of a change so she began to strip the bed.

"Hey! The what the hell are you doing now?" he asked as he pulled on his shirt, which bore the Linkin Park logo.

"Changing your sheets," she answered shortly. "I have no idea what's living in there and think it's a good idea."

"And my clothes?"

"Being washed."

"The dishes?"

"You mean those fuzzy things? They're soaking in bleach at the moment. Then they'll be washed."

"And why are you filling for Kikyo?"

"I told you, her little sister has mono. Since I'm her cousin, she volunteered me for the job. Hey, wait a minute, most people think that I'm Kikyo until they get a better look."

"Kikyo would never wear faded blue jeans and a Metallica tee shirt," he answered smugly. "Besides, she's cuter."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Whatever. Just tell me where the extra linens are kept and I'll make your bed."

"Oh the hell you will!"

"Oh yes I am! There have to be at least four different subspecies of bed bug living in there!" she told him. "Now where are the linens?!"

"Hall closet," he mumbled as he sunk down in his newly discovered planet chair. He'd forgotten about it since he'd covered it with dirty laundry a month ago.

She walked out just as another was walking in.

"Good God in heaven, you have a floor!"

"Shove it up your ass, Miroku."

The man grinned. "Sorry, can't. What happened here?"

The young master rolled his eyes. "The new girl."

"That cutie I passed on the way out?"

"She's not cute."

"I think she is. Kinda cute punk with that look she's got going for her."

"You think all girls are cute."

"Inuyasha, it wouldn't kill you to look at a girl every once in a while."

"I do."

"Kikyo, but she's the help."

"And so is this girl."

"What's this girl?" Kagome asked as she walked back in.

"You're the help," Miroku said with a grin. "Hi, I'm Miroku, and this stubborn ass is Inuyasha. But you probably knew that."

"I'm Kagome Higurashi. Kikyo's cousin."

"I see the resemblance," Miroku said, appraising her. "But you're cuter."

Kagome laughed. "Flattery gets you no where."

Miroku shrugged. "Worth a shot, anyway. Hey, great job in here. I wasn't sure if Inuyasha had a floor or not."

Kagome chuckled. "I thought that when I first looked in here. Now if you'll pardon me, I'm going to change the bed."

"Whatever makes you happy," Miroku said, plopping himself down in the desk chair. He looked at Inuyasha, smirking. "Just think, you won't have to be embarrassed about showing people your room anymore."

"I was never embarrassed," Inuyasha muttered. "Have you heard the new demo?"

"Sure, change the subject," Miroku said with a dramatic sweep of the hand. "Yeah, I heard it. I think Koga and the guys are on to something."

"That's what I think. But things would sound so much cooler if we could have a female front. Too bad the girls we know can't carry a tune in a bucket."

"What about . . ."

"Absolutely not."

"You're just mad 'cause she touched your stuff and she's makin' your room look good. Really good."

Kagome looked back over her shoulder. Miroku was leaning back causally in the chair, one hand in his black hair. Then it glinted a violent shade of purple. Then it was black again. Now wonder Inuyasha wasn't shown often. He was the black sheep of the family, and he had a shady group of friends to boot. Not that Miroku was shady, but he had the bad boy thing going for him for sure. Three earrings, a Kiss tee shirt, faded jeans with holes in the knees, he was a bad boy all right. A very hot bad boy at that.

"We don't know if she can even sing," Inuyasha pointed out.

Kagome went back to her work as Miroku looked over at her. "I don't know. Hey, Kagome, can you sing?"

Kagome turned around, dirty sheets in hand. "I dunno. I never really tried."

"Well, sing something."

"Anything?"

"Go for it girl!"

Kagome flushed. "Um, okay." She began to sing in a clear alto that caused shivers to go up and down the spines of Inuyasha and Miroku.

Miroku clapped. "That's great! That perfect alto that we're looking for! Come on Inuyasha, she was perfectly in key the entire time!"

"But-"

"Get over the fact that she's cleaning your room, okay. Just let her do a demo with the band and we'll go from there."

Inuyasha looked at his friend and then at the girl holding his dirty sheets. "Oh fine. I'll call Koga and the guys and we can record a demo. When's your next day?"

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know yet. I'll have to ask Myoga."

"Right. Well, tack on an extra two hours to that so we can do the demo, okay. And if we like you, we might, might, mind you, let you join us for a track."

"So you have a band?"

"We're called Youkai Hunters," Miroku said with a devil-may-care grin. "We mostly play small clubs, but we're trying to see if we can give a concert. Should be fun."

Kagome smiled. "Sounds like it. Now, I really need to finish what I came her to do."

Inuyasha stood up and stretched. "C'mon Miroku, let's leave the girl to her cleaning. We'll head to the music room and work on her part."

Kagome couldn't suppress the smile that was crossing her face. Not only was she working in The Mansion, but she had a chance to join the band that the younger son was involved with. Life couldn't get any better.

* * *

Tee-hee! I'm loving this story. I originally posted it in the forum of Himiko's Iridescent Dreams website, where I received praise for it's humor and originality. Of course that does leave the question, if it's a Kagome X Inuyasha fic, why does Inuyasha seem uninterested? 

As always, read and review!

MercyAngel09


	2. Prelude Fiero

Face the Music

Chapter 2: Prelude Fiero (or High Spirited Prelude)

Rating: M

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and company is owned by Rumiko Takahashi.

Author's Notes: Welcome back for chapter 2. I wasn't sure if you people have noticed or not, but I'm using music terms as the titles. Expect things like "al Fine" and "Allegro" to make appearances, along with the definition of each term.

A few more characters are "introduced" in this section, but it shouldn't be too hard to keep people straight. Many characters make appearances that reflect their positions in the anime. Some things have been tweaked (come on, it wouldn't by an AU fic if things were the same), but not too terribly bad and beyond recognition. So read on and enjoy!

* * *

It was a bright and sunny afternoon as Kagome stood on the sidelines, watching her younger brother play soccer. Another young woman, a few years older than Kagome, walked over to the girl with a smile on her face. 

"Hey Kagome, Sota's looking pretty good out there."

"Yeah, so is Kohaku," Kagome answered. "It's been a while, Sango."

The older girl shrugged. "Between exams and keeping Kohaku out of trouble, I have my hands full."

"I know the feeling. You will never guess what happened to me."

"You won a lot of money and you're taking me to Disneyland?"

"No, but just a good. I'm working at The Mansion."

"You're kidding!" Sango shrieked. A few parents turned to glare at the girls before going back to cheering for their kid. "Um, okay, so how did you land that one?"

"Remember Kikyo?"

"Your cousin?"

"The same. She works there on the weekends, but Kaede, my other cousin and her little sister, has mono, so Kikyo has to take care of her."

"Kaede is Sota's age, right?"

"Yup. But Kikyo told the family that I'd be taking her place. But it's so much more than that. The younger son, Inuyasha is part of a band and he wants me to join them for a track. Well, at least they might let me. I have to audition for the rest of the band before any decisions are made."

"Okay, now that's cool."

"Listen, Sango, for my next shift I'm in bit of a crunch. I'm supposed to be there for four hours Tuesday night, but I have an appointment, and I'd be really grateful if you could come and help me out. I'm sure it will be okay."

The older girl returned her attention to the soccer game. "I don't know."

"You get to see The Mansion, in person. Most people would kill to be in your shoes right now."

Sango smiled at her friend. "Okay, sure. Why the hell not. Could be fun, right?"

Kagome laughed. "Now that's the spirit."

* * *

Toru was surprised to be picking up two girls on Tuesday, but in the end he didn't mind. Sango was polite and well behaved, and he was sure that Myoga wouldn't mind. 

"So what are we doing today?" Sango asked once they walked into the kitchen.

Kagome walked over to the fridge where the schedule was posted. "Looks like I have to clean Inuyasha's bedroom again. But it should be somewhat livable. Last time I was here I cleaned everything!"

Sango followed her friend up two flights of stairs and down a hall to the door of Inuyasha's room. "I warn you, he might not be very nice to you. He was kind of pissed off when I cleaned his room the first time. But I have to air out his room and then dust his shelves."

"Anything after that?"

"After that we check with Myoga to see what else needs to be done," Kagome answered. "Okay, here goes." She knocked on the door, careful to keep anything from falling off.

"Come in," came the muffled reply.

Kagome slid the door open and walked in, and found Inuyasha and Miroku lying in the middle of the floor, sheet music between them.

"I don't know her range," Miroku was saying. "So try to keep it in the alto range. And bear in mind that this is her first time. She'll probably be nervous."

Inuyasha looked up at her, eyebrows raised. "We're workin' on your part," he said casually. "And what's your duty today?"

"Airing out your room and then dusting the contents of your shelves," Kagome answered as she walked over to a window and opened it up. Fresh air and sunshine streamed into the room, and Inuyasha glared at her.

"Deal with it," she said shortly. She tossed Sango a rag and smiled. "Pick a shelf and start dusting!"

"Hey! Who's the friend?" Inuyasha asked. "I let you in here 'cause you're the help, but I don't know her."

"Her name is Sango and she's a friend of mine. I have an appointment and have to leave early, and to make sure that everything gets done I brought her along to help. Don't worry about a thing," Kagome answered.

Miroku was grinning at the older girl, a lecherous glint in his eye. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Miroku and I'm the drummer of the Youkai Hunters."

"The Youkai Hunters?" Sango asked.

"Their band," Kagome explained as she dusted off a talent show trophy.

"Can't you see yourself telling your friends that you knew the drummer of the Youkai Hunters before they were famous?" he asked her. He was now standing next to her, one arm wrapped around her waist. And this would have been fine, until he stuck his hand where it wasn't supposed to be.

"You pervert!" she screamed as she sent him flying across the room.

Miroku grinned at her from where he landed on Inuyasha's bed. "Worth the pain," he said.

"Give it a rest you letch," Inuyasha muttered.

Sango returned to her dusting as Miroku and Inuyasha went back to their music. About ten minutes later Kagome closed the window and headed for the door.

"See you later," she said as she took Sango's rag.

"I talked to Koga and next week we can do the demo. Then we'll decide whether or not you'll join us for that track," Inuyasha told her.

"Okay," Kagome said as she walked out.

"She's not nervous at all," Miroku said once the door had slid shut behind Kagome and Sango.

"No, she's nervous all right. I think she wants to be part of our little club."

"And what's wrong with that? Lots of bands are fronted by girls these days. No Doubt, Evanesence, I mean _come on_ Inuyasha, she's just what we need. And besides, a five person band would work much better."

"We are a five person band."

"Not technically. Remember, Ginta mixes our stuff, you know, our resident DJ but I don't really consider him part of the band. Not like he sings or anything."

"Oh all right!" Inuyasha conceded. "Maybe we do need one more voice! But why in God's name does it have to be her?"

"Because there's something about her," Miroku said, looking back towards the door. "Let me tell you, she's gonna change the way that our band does things."

"Yeah, but for better or for worse?" Inuyasha muttered.

* * *

Life was grand. And as Kagome walked into The Mansion for her next shift, she was humming happily to herself. Checking the schedule, she'd been assigned laundry detail, that is to say, she had to go to all of the bedrooms and collect the dirty laundry and send it down to the laundry room. 

Collecting the Master and the Mistress's laundry was easy enough, since they used hampers and Sesshoumaru, being the meticulous tight ass that he was, even sorted his laundry much the same way that Kagome had sorted Inuyasha's on her first day. It was when she had to clean up Inuyasha's mess that things became interesting.

He wasn't in his room when she got there, which wasn't unusual, since he was normally holed up in the music room with Miroku anyway. She began to collect his laundry, even having to jump to retrieve a shirt that had somehow managed to land on the chandelier. Once it was sorted, she began to take it in groups to the laundry chute. By the time she was ready to make the final trip, she was greeted with a mass of bodies at the door.

Inuyasha was leading the pack, and he smirked at her when he noticed the contents of her arms. "Laundry detail again?"

"Not my choice of chore, of course, but now that I know that you wear Spongebob Squarepants boxer shorts, I suppose it can give me some leverage," she said evenly.

"You wouldn't . . ."

"Would you prefer the Smurf boxers to come out to the public?" she asked as she held up a pair of black boxers that had Smurfs all over them.

"That's enough!" Inuyasha said, grabbing his laundry and running out with them. She figured he must have dumped them in the laundry chute because he came back empty handed.

"You're a poor sport, you know that," she told him. Today she was wearing a pair of boot cut blue jeans and cream colored handkerchief top.

"Oh look who's talking little miss I'm a prep."

"Grungeball."

"Oh, this coming from someone who wore a Metallica tee shirt on their first day. If my brother had seen that, he would have fired you."

"Well he did see that and he seemed to think that we'd get along just fine."

"Yo, Inuyasha, you gonna introduce us?" one of the guys asked.

Kagome looked past Inuyasha to see three new guys along with him and Miroku. One had a mop of unruly hair that was white on the sides with a streak of black running down the center. He was wearing faded jeans and beat up Harley tee. The second had a Mohawk and was wearing a beat up leather jacket over a black tee with a pair of well-worn blue jeans. The last guy had long black hair drawn back into a ponytail, and he was wearing blue jeans and an old Disneyland tee. He was looking at Kagome with mild interest, not entirely sure what he should do about her.

"Oh, yeah, this is Kagome. She's gonna do the demo for us."

"Her? She's kinda . . . preppy, don't you think?" the guy with the Mohawk said.

"Hakakku, she just looks that way right now. But like I said before, she wore a Metallica tee on her first day."

"I think she could fit," said the guy with the inverse skunk on his head.

"I think so too, Ginta," Miroku said with a grin. "But Inuyasha seems to think differently."

"I do not," Inuyasha muttered.

"I just want to hear her sing," the guy with the ponytail said.

"All right, Koga. We'll do the demo then. Are you done with your stuff?" Inuyasha asked her.

Kagome bit her lip. "I finished what I was assigned to do, but first I need to check with Myoga to see if there aren't any random jobs that have come up. Sometimes your mother likes me to cut her a fresh bouquet of flowers from her gardens."

"Well hurry up and check and then get back here. I want to get this demo done with," Inuyasha grumbled. He watched Kagome nod and dash out, her hair flying behind her as she left.

"She's cute," Koga said as he plunked himself down in the once again newly rediscovered planet chair.

"Whatever," Inuyasha muttered.

"Yeah, she seems really nice too," Ginta added as he sat down on Inuyasha's bed.

"She's a doll," Miroku said with a grin. "Too bad she's already shot me down."

"Didn't you give her the 'I'm dying of Hodgkin's disease' bit yet?" Hakakku asked.

Miroku shook his head. "I wish I could, but for once, I feel kinda guilty for using that as an excuse for getting her into bed. I mean, it works with most girls, but then again, Kagome isn't most girls. Something tells me that she could kick my ass if I pissed her off, or something to that effect."

"Well in any case, if she can sing, she's in," Koga said with a yawn. "There's something about her that draws the eye. And if she can mouth off to Inuyasha, she's good in my book."

Three other members of the band laughed while the fourth member looked murderous.

"Don't make me shove that bass up your ass," Inuyasha warned.

Kagome walked into the kitchen, humming the newest Nami Tamaki hit. Myoga and Toru were talking at the kitchen table, but paused when she came in.

"What's up?" Myoga asked.

"I was just wondering if there was anything else you wanted me to do or if collecting laundry was it."

"Considering you had to collect and sort Inuyasha's laundry, I'd say you can have the rest of the day off," Myoga said thoughtfully. "I'm assuming you've run across things you'd rather not have?"

"If you talking about the Spongebob and Smurf boxers, you've just hit the nail on the head."

Myoga nodded sympathetically as she raced back the way she'd came. He was aware of the growing friendship between the two, though at the moment it was hardly friendship. He half resented her, half respected her, and Sesshoumaru had no qualms with his younger brother being around her. Kikyo was an ice princess, always cool, but Kagome let you know how she was feeling the moment she felt it, and it was the general consensus of the house that Inuyasha would benefit from hanging around her, so they didn't try to intervene in their affairs. Inuyasha needed a normal friend, one that wasn't from an affluent family, like Miroku and Koga were. Kagome was just what he needed.

Kagome burst through the door, startling the four guys who were crowed around Inuyasha and his guitar. "I'm free for the rest of the day!" she announced.

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Fantastic," he muttered. "Now stop grinning like an idiot and let's get this done."

He stood up, slinging his guitar so it was now on his back and walked out. Koga and the other two trailed out, leaving Kagome and Miroku behind.

"Shall we go?" she asked him.

The purple haired young man stood, leaning heavily on Inuyasha's desk chair. "Yeah, I . . . hold on a sec." He doubled over, gasping for breath, as if it had suddenly become very difficult to breathe.

"Are you okay?" she asked slightly panicked.

"I'm fine," Miroku wheezed. "I have Hodgkin's disease, which is a form of cancer. I just get tired suddenly, that's all."

"And you're in a band?"

"The doctor thinks it's a good idea. Gives me something worth living for, you know?" he answered with a half smile. "Now let's get going. Inuyasha will probably be irked that you were late in even getting there."

* * *

Miroku was right, Inuyasha was irked that they were later than the others. He rather irritably put her in front of the microphone and haphazardly tossed her sheet music on the stand before her before grabbing his guitar. They were all in the same room, each wearing a pair of headphones, with the exception of Ginta, who was in the booth, working the soundboard. 

"I'm ready when you are," he told them. "Now Kagome, since this is your first time even hearing the song, the guys will play through it once so you can become familiar with the melody and then you'll join us on the next take. Now you'll be hearing their instruments through the headphones since they're hooked directly to the board so I can control their volumes. And don't worry, I'm sure you'll be fine."

Miroku pulled one of the massive headphones away from his ear. "Four count guys!" he shouted at the others, who'd done the same.

The others nodded, poised with their instruments ready.

"One, two, three, four!" Miroku said, bringing his drumsticks together on each beat. The guys started together and Kagome was hit with a rush of music. She watched them play, each of them finding the zone and sticking with it until the song ended. She went over the sheet music as they played, mouthing the words along and marking places that she'd have to watch for once they started recording.

When they finally ended the song, Kagome had marked at least seven different trouble spots. She looked at the guys, determination in her eyes. "Okay, I think I'm ready."

Miroku nodded and held up his drumsticks. "One, two, three, four!"

Kagome closed her eyes and counted through the twenty opening measures before the lyrics started. Around the sixteenth measure, she looked at the music, and when the words started as measure twenty-one, she was on top of it.

In the heart of JIORAMA street  
The light of hope is shining  
The wings which we use to fly in our dreams  
Is something you and I are looking for  
The truth is hidden in the eyes so blue

Where shall we go to  
Our future roams around now  
And we continue with our journey  
The place of eternity  
And the endless dream  
I want to chase after it without letting go of this hand  
Never!

She counted another nine measures before starting in again.

In the ocean of the turquoise-colored heart  
The signals of the light ship can be heard  
I need to go faster, for this impatient feeling  
No words are needed  
A lie is always hiding in the words so sweet

Let the two of us become one  
Hold on to the crowded waves  
And we continue with our journey  
The space between our hug  
The endless dream  
Cutting through the rainbow headed for the promised light

She counted another nineteen measures through the bridge, adding in a few "oohs" and "aahs" for effect.

Where shall we go to  
Our futures roams around now  
And we continue with our journey  
The place of eternity  
And the endless dream  
I want to chase after it without letting go of this hand  
Never!

She let the guys finish before looking at them. Ginta turned off the light that indicated that they had been recording and gave them a thumb's up. It looked like things had gone well, but they wouldn't know for sure until they heard it.

Leaving the studio and heading for the booth, they crowded in as Ginta prepared the demo. "Now I'm not making any promises, but let me tell you, Kagome sounded great with you guys backing her up! Just amazing! We'd be stupid not to keep her!"

He played the track as everyone found a place to perch and listen. Koga closed his eyes while Miroku spaced out on a patch on the wall. Inuyasha stared right ahead of him while Hakakku bounced his head along with the song. Kagome's eyes couldn't settle on one particular spot, rather she was watching the guys nervously, trying to figure out if they'd give her the ax.

When the song ended, the group sat in silence, contemplating their next move. But it was broken when Sesshoumaru strode in, giving Kagome a hard look. "What in God's name is going on here?"

Inuyasha looked up at his brother. "We just recorded a demo, twit."

"I know that. Why is she down here?"

"Kagome? She's our new vocalist," Miroku answered.

Sesshoumaru glared at him. "Doesn't she have work to do?"

"I . . . that is . . . erm . . . Myoga said that I was done after I took care of collecting laundry and getting it to the laundry room. He seemed to think that I deserved the rest of the day off after dealing with Inuyasha's . . . skivvies," she answered. "I'm not on the clock."

Sesshoumaru leaned in closer, his amber gaze piercing hers. "Well, as long as I'm not paying you to sing I don't see why she can't be down here. Carry on." He strode out just as he'd strode in, with a look of pure purpose on his face.

"What an ass," Inuyasha muttered.

"Skivvies?" Koga asked with a chuckle.

"Well, after Spongebob and the Smurfs," Kagome started.

"Enough!" Inuyasha barked. "Kagome, go wait in the hall. I want to talk to the guys for a sec."

Kagome left the booth and stood in the hall, leaning on the wall right next to the door. Butterflies were flitting around in her stomach. She had sounded good, but she wasn't sure if she'd impressed them or not. She knew that Ginta liked what he'd heard, but she was unable to read the others. She couldn't tell what they'd been thinking as they'd listen to the raw recording.

In the booth, a heated discussing was going about the future of the band.

"She's a girl," Inuyasha said. "And while her voice works with this track, that's no guarantee that she'll work on the other tracks."

"But just think, we can go down in music history with her!" Miroku argued. "Her voice is amazing and I think she may be that missing piece of the puzzle!"

"And she's cute too. That will work as far as our image goes!" Koga put in.

"I don't know guys, she was just a little flat," Hakakku told them.

"First recording dumbass," Ginta said. "Give her a few more takes and she'll nail it, I'm sure."

"Give it up Inuyasha, the votes are three to two. Kagome stays," Miroku said.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Fine, whatever. I guess that means we'll have to rework some of our songs so she can sing them, right?"

"Well, yeah," Miroku said as he scratched his head. "I wasn't really thinking about that, but you two have a similar range so you can write a harmony for yourself and she can take the lead."

"That's what I thought you'd say," Inuyasha muttered.

* * *

After what felt like an eternity, Kagome was summoned back into the booth, and to smiling faces, well, with the exception of Inuyasha. 

"Welcome to the Youkai Hunters, front girl Kagome!" Miroku said with a huge grin. "At least for the track. Now all we need is a title for the song."

"Continue our journey?" Hakakku suggested.

"Stupid," Inuyasha sighed. "How about 'Where Shall We Go To?'"

"Lame," Koga muttered. "I like 'Place of Eternity' myself."

"It's nice," Miroku murmured, "but not quite it. 'Our Future?'"

"Too short," Ginta answered. "Kagome, do you have an idea?"

Kagome was reviewing the music in her mind, trying to find the common thread that tied it together. And she found it. "'Endless Dream,'" she said quietly. "The song should be called 'Endless Dream.'"

"'Endless Dream' eh?" Miroku said. "I like it. All in favor say 'aye!'"

"Aye!" came the unanimous reply.

"'Endless Dream' it is."

* * *

"Endless Dream" is the third Inuyasha opening theme and is performed by Aikawa Nanase. The lyrics presented are based on a rough translation by mink ) from and tweaked by myself to make them a little more grammatically correct. And if you were wondering, I did count the opening measures and the measures between the verses to try and give an accurate account of how music is read and subsequently recorded. Having been in orchestra and recorded a CD, I know that counting is important so you don't get lost. 

Having said that, this chapter wasn't too bad to write. I mean, it probably took me half and hour or so and listening to "Endless Dream" a dozen times before I was positive of how many measures the intro and the bridge was, but I really enjoyed it. Sorry if I bored you with too many technical terms.

As always, drop a review, since I do like to get fan feedback (usually).

Ciao-

MercyAngel09

Also- Amreld, to answer your questions:

Yes, the name is lame, but it's also a nod to their, erm, occupation in the show. Are they not demon hunters or something to that effect? I suppose I could have called the Taijya or something like that, but I personally didn't really like it. YH also makes a very interesting logo to go on Miroku's drum set, okay.

1.) I can't exactly pin down the genre, except that it's going to be a blend between Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit, and Evanesence, I guess that would make it a hybrid sound of sorts. And more rock than metal.

2.) I have no idea if they'll scream or not. Actually, I can pretty much say with certainty that there will not be screaming. I'm thinking that with the female front, they're going to be utilizing her vocal abilities, like ear shattering sopranos (that is if I give Kagome that much of a range, since right now I'm thinking of a true alto in the way of Amy Lee). Of course, they guys might put screaming in, regardless of how much Kagome may argue.

3.) Six string guitars, and that's simply because those are the type I learned how to play. Not very well, I might add. As for other instruments . . . well, you'll just have to wait and find out, won't you?

4.) As for the label, that's a surprise too.

5.) I do in fact work with a couple of people in a band, and the lead singer loves to fill me in on all of the details. He's actually a very talented writer and singer, and will forever be one of my favorite co-workers. I also have friends who were in radio broadcast, my dad worked for Paulina Rubia (a particularly popular Latina singer), my cousin worked for Gloria Estefan . . . yeah, I'm pretty well connected, I guess.

As for some of the other things you mentioned, well, this sorta goes against those conventions. They don't have a tour bus, they have two. Keep in mind, Inuyasha and all of his friends (except for maybe Kagome) come from pretty affluent families, and as you'll find out, they're in with some very extraordinary circumstances. It's nice to come from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in Japan, right?

Oh, and by the way, while Inuyasha will probably listen to Korn, he's not a huge fan . . . since I can barely tolerate them myself. (Though I really did like "Freak on a Leash".) But I do have several friends who love metal (they lived an entire summer off of the adrenaline rush of the Summer Sanitarium Tour alone) so while I'm not a particularly huge fan of it myself, I'm not a total ignoramus either. Consequently, one of these girls is also my artist and has produced some fanart to accompany the story . . .


	3. Dolce con Calore

Face the Music

Chapter 3 – Dolce con Calore (Sweet with Warmth)

Disclaimers – Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi et al.

Author's notes – Boy, this wasn't exactly the reception I was expecting, but hey, something's better than nothing. I figure that I should get this updated before I get bogged down with school (blech, _school_). We start seeing a little action in this chapter, but this is just a taste of things to come.

* * *

It had been three weeks since Kagome had started at The Mansion and nearly two since she'd been accepted for "Endless Dream." Her friends were constantly bugging her about Inuyasha, but she almost never said anything, she didn't want to ruin the fact that they'd actually become friendly over the course of the last couple of weeks.

"But Kagome," Eri whined, "you have to tell us about him!"

"I don't see why Higurashi has to say anything," Hojo said with a furrowed brow.

Yuka hit Hojo upside the head. "Because as our best friend and our Mansion rep, she's supposed to tell us all of the juicy details! You know that we're curious about how the upper crust lives!"

"But she doesn't have to tell us," Ayumi said warily.

Kagome was shaking her head, trying to block out the noise that was crowding around her. It was the usual crew and booth at Wacdonald's, Hojo having seemed to join the group during one of her shifts. While her friends were engaged in an argument about the morality of gossip, a group of five slid into the booth next to where Kagome and her friends were sitting.

"Hey, I want the widow seat stupid!"

"But it gives me a better chance to observe the women."

"Dude, if you're sitting on the aisle, then you can actually get up and talk to them."

Kagome recognized these voices and looked up, only to see a few familiar looking dyed heads. But the one that stood out the most was the one that was directly looking at her, the one with the silver blond and blue hair. And then he winked at her.

"Eep!" she yelped without meaning to.

"Kagome, something wrong?" Eri asked.

"I, uh, felt something brush my foot, that's all," she fibbed, cursing Inuyasha mentally. He was smirking at her, and now that Koga, who was sitting next to him, noticed that she was there, the pair of them began to make faces at her.

Kagome did her best to restrain her laughter, but after a few hopeless minutes, she burst out laughing surprising her friends.

"Kagome, it's not that funny," Yuka told her.

Kagome wasn't listening. Rather she was trying her best to look mean and intimidating but failing miserably since she was laughing so hard. Koga and Inuyasha had left their booth and were now standing by the table.

"Oh come on Kagome, we don't look that funny, do we?" Koga asked with feigned hurt in his voice.

"Oh, of course not," she chuckled back.

"Hey, Kag," Inuyasha said, "do you always hang out here?"

She smiled pleasantly, but there was a gleam in her eyes that was dangerous. "When I'm not picking up your underwear, Inuyasha Taji."

Inuyasha waved his hands in an attempt to keep her quiet. "Dammit woman, did you really need to announce that here!"

"Wait, he's Inuyasha?" Eri squealed. "He's really hot!"

"Damn Kagome, no wonder you didn't want to tell us about him. Don't think that you can hog him!" Yuka chimed.

"I don't like him like that!" Kagome answered, a flustered blush rising in her cheeks.

"Better not," Koga said cryptically, leaning down so he could look her eye to eye. "I'd have to hurt him if you did."

Both Inuyasha and Kagome looked at Koga with a mix of surprise and wonder. What in God's name did he mean by that?

* * *

Kagome somehow managed to convince Myoga to let her bring Sango along to make sure that Miroku, who apparently spent as much time at Inuyasha's house than at his own, kept his hands off of her. And of course, after he'd told her about his cancer, he'd been after her to be the mother of his child, so that he knew that his bloodline would be continued if he were to suddenly keel over.

Sango, being closer to Miroku's age anyway, was more than happy to tag along and make sure that he kept his hands to himself. She found that it was easy to make conversation with the lech and keep him occupied while Kagome bustled about. The only time she considered leaving Kagome alone was when he started asking her to bear his child, but she never knew the real reason why.

One afternoon, as Kagome was busy cleaning out Inuyasha's dressers and then refolding and putting his laundry away (and discovering satin zebra print boxers, and the standard issue cotton Scooby-Doo and Batman boxers), Sango was lounging in the now ever clean planet chair, flipping through a magazine.

"Where do you think the guys are?" as she flipped by an add for new episodes of "Iron Chef."

"I don't know. Probably the music room," Kagome shrugged as she emptied the contents of another drawer on the floor. "Dammit! Can't guys do laundry?"

Sesshoumaru, who happened to be walking by at the moment, poked his head in. "No, just teenagers. I happen to fold all of my laundry meticulously."

Kagome and Sango exchanged a look that clearly conveyed, "Obsessive-compulsive tight-ass" before looking demurely at him.

"Of course, and I appreciate it, you have no idea," Kagome answered.

Sesshoumaru smiled at her as he left, leaving butterflies in the pit of her stomach.

"No man should be that beautiful," Sango breathed, voicing Kagome's thoughts.

"Yeah, but he is. It should be illegal."

The girls giggled before returning to whatever they'd been doing before Sesshoumaru had walked in.

The next half hour or so passed in relative silence with the exception of the curses that Kagome threw out at the non-present Inuyasha for his haphazard folding and putting away of his laundry. That is, until pounding footsteps rudely interrupted them.

"Kagome! Great! I was hoping that you'd be here!"

She looked up from one of his many shirts and raised an eyebrow. "And what's so great? I'm refolding all of your laundry dammit! This had better be good!"

Inuyasha grinned at her. "Oh trust me, it is!"

Miroku, Koga, Ginta and Hakakku appeared seconds later, each carrying two six packs of cream soda and root beer in a bottle. "Time for a celebration!" Miroku cheered. He dropped on of the packs on the floor and pulled out a cream soda for Sango, tossing it to her.

She caught it, but didn't drink. "What are we celebrating here?"

"We have the most kick-ass news in the whole world!" Koga said with a huge grin. "We secured ourselves a concert. Not just a club where the cover charge pays for it, we're talking you have to buy tickets to get into this puppy!"

"That's great!" Kagome said, beaming.

Inuyasha tossed Kagome a root beer. "Come on, we should toast to this. To the Youkai Hunters and their new future!"

"The Youkai Hunters and their new future!" everyone chimed, clinking their root beer and cream soda bottles together.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Kikyo? Is that you dear?" Kasumi, the somewhat spacey cook and head of the kitchen, smiled at the girl. "Does this mean that your sister is better?"

"The little rug rat's doing better," Kikyo answered. "She's able to be left alone now."

"Oh, Kikyo, if you're going to be heading up to Inuyasha's room, could you at least take this platter up?" It was tray loaded down with chips, dips, and every imaginable type of finger food. "I don't know what he's doing up there with his friends, but it must be some kind of party to require all of that."

Kikyo smiled. "No problem Kasumi." She headed up two flights of stairs and down the hallway to Inuyasha's all too familiar door. She felt a pang of guilt for not telling Kagome that she was probably going to have to clean up after Inuyasha, but shrugged it off. The merrymaking could be heard through the door and it did indeed sound like some sort of party.

Sliding open the door with her foot, she produced the tray. "Room service!"

"Kikyo!" she heard someone exclaim.

She looked to see her cousin, sitting on the floor with the Youkai Hunters and her friend Sango, each with a bottle of pop in their hands. "Kagome! I didn't know you were here. What are you doing?"

"We're celebrating!" Miroku said in good cheer. "Drop the tray and join in. There's plenty of drinks and food for all!"

Kikyo joined the group at the floor, her eyes settling on Inuyasha. "So what's the party for, anyway?"

"We're giving a concert. Not in a club, not some free park gig, an actual concert in an actual arena," Inuyasha explained. "We're busting out."

"It's about time! So whatever happened to the song Koga was working on?" she asked.

Clearly Kikyo had always been right in the thick of things with the guys and the band. Kagome couldn't help but feel a little left out now that Kikyo was here. It was like she didn't matter anymore, until she felt someone wrap their arm around her waist. It was Koga, and he was hugging her to his side.

"We finished it, but we're trying a little something different. Kagome here is our front girl for it. It sounds totally awesome with her on the lead," he said.

"I thought Inuyasha was the lead vocalist," Kikyo said. "Did you replace him?"  
  
"Hell no!" Inuyasha burst out. "She's for one track only!"

"That's cool," Kikyo said, selecting a cream soda.

"You're going to come, right?" Ginta asked.

"If you want me there," Kikyo replied with a shrug.

"Well that's a no brainer," Inuyasha said. "You're my girlfriend so you have to be there!"

This dropped on the room like a bomb. Miroku had always had his suspicions, but never said anything for fear for his life. Koga, Ginta and Hakakku weren't surprised, they just weren't expecting Inuyasha to blurt it out like that. Sango didn't really care, it wasn't like these people were close friends or anything. But for one second, Kagome felt as if she'd been plunged into an icy pool.

"You're what?" she finally asked.

Kikyo blushed. "Kag, I would have told you, I swear, but I don't know. I thought that maybe your gossip-mongering friends might pry it out of you," she answered with a shrug. "You know how they are."

Kagome did only all too well.

"Were those the girls sitting with you at Wacdonald's?" Koga asked.

"Those would be them," came the lifeless reply.

"Yeah, they're kind of obnoxious," Koga told Kikyo. "They seem pretty ruthless in their quest for good gossip. Apparently they've been harassing Kagome about Inuyasha."

"They were?"

"They wanted to know what he looked like and what he acted like, since he's not a social butterfly like Sesshoumaru. It was curiosity more than anything," she answered. But her mind was racing. Kikyo and Inuyasha were a couple. For the last couple of weeks she'd been sure that the playful banter that he'd always struck up was his way of flirting with her. But he was just being friendly. God, she felt so stupid. For a while she was actually thinking that he might have liked her.

But she wasn't going to let the news crush her. Instead she was smiling, pretending that she was happy for them. But deep down she beginning to understand what it felt like to love and then lose.

* * *

It was a few days later when Kagome was walking home from the market, both arms laden with groceries. Her mother had taken Sota to an out of district soccer game and left Kagome with the shopping. Since she wasn't working at The Mansion anymore, she found herself being put to work at home.

She didn't want to admit it, but she was missing Inuyasha terribly. She'd grown fond of their witty exchanges and she was almost humiliated to think that she loved the barbs that they'd exchanged, let alone the fact that she'd be preparing them well in advance.

"Kagome!"

She looked around, looking for the person who'd called out to her. She spotted them about fifty yards away, and they were sprinting towards her. In a matter of about thirty seconds Inuyasha came up to her, panting. "Hey there, I miss you going through my underwear."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm so sure."

"Hey! With the exception of my mother who picked out the boxers to begin with, and the laundry ladies, you're the only other girl who's seen 'em," he said with a shrug.

"Did you seek me out for a reason, or just to piss me off?"

"There's the Kagome we all know and love!" he said jovially. It was pretty creepy, he was happy to see her, and he was sounding like Miroku. This whole concert thing must have been the best thing that ever happened to him.

"Get to the point, Inuyasha. There's ice cream in this bag that's going to melt all over the other groceries if we don't hurry up," she said irritably. Just seeing him made her heart ache.

"I brought you your pass so you can get into the concert. Since you're going to be performing, you need to be able to get back stage," he said, handing her a badge on a lanyard. "This will get you past the gorillas working as our security."

"How'd you pull this off?"

"How else?" he said with a shrug. "I basically convinced Sesshoumaru that this was a worthy cause. I told him that our company could have another opportunity to bring in even more money if we can prove that we'd be an asset. Basically, if we're liked, Sesshoumaru's going to start a recording label and we'd be the first ones signed."

"And he went for this?"

"He didn't see why not. Besides, Father insisted that I could have some sort of say in the family business. Sesshoumaru fronts the money, and voila! Instant funding and if all goes well, eventually I'll take over the label. Not a bad deal," Inuyasha said with pride.

"Well congratulations on using your brain."

"Oh sure, rain on my parade."

"Hey, Kagome!" Both she and Inuyasha turned to see Koga running towards them. "Oh, Inuyasha . . . so you gave her the pass already?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "I saw her and figured why the hell not. I happened to have with me, that's all."

"Right," Koga said, but his tone was screaming, "I don't believe you."

"Anyway, I'll see you guys later. I have groceries to get home," she said, shifting the bags on her hips.

"Oh, hey, let me help you with that," Koga said, grabbing a bag.

Inuyasha, not wanting to look bad, grabbed the other. "I'll help too."

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Whatever floats your boat."

* * *

Neither Inuyasha nor Koga had ever seen a shrine before, so Kagome's house was the coolest thing next to the recording studio. She invited them to stay for tea and Inuyasha was hesitant at first, but jumped at it when Koga said that he'd love to. Obviously he didn't want to leave Kagome and Koga alone, though she wasn't sure why. He had a girlfriend . . . didn't he?

That was what he'd said a few days ago in his bedroom.

So the three of them sat around the kitchen, talking about school and the band, trying to come up with a good logo and then an image.

"I like the grunge look," Inuyasha argued.

"But it's too Kurt Cobain," Kagome said, shaking her head. "And we're not a band from Seattle. I'm sorry, but I'm not wearing dirty jeans and flannel."

"Then what?" Inuyasha demanded.

"How about what we normally wear?" Koga suggested. "The beat up jeans and old tee shirts with the Converse sneakers."

"I have Vans," Kagome put in.

"Whatever. The whole look fits. The skater/punk look, ya know," Koga said. "Besides, it's not like we have to go out and buy all new clothes, which I'm sure our financier would love to know."

"Yeah, that tightwad won't even buy me a new guitar," Inuyasha grumbled.

"What's wrong with the one you have now?" Kagome asked.

"Well, it's not a bad guitar," Inuyasha said with a shrug. "It's just that I've had it for the last ten years or so. But I take really good care of it so you won't know that I got it when I was seven."

_That's right_, Kagome thought, _Inuyasha is seventeen, two years older than Kikyo and myself. I suppose Miroku is probably nineteen and Koga, Ginta and Hakakku are around seventeen as well. Wow, I'm the baby of the group._

"You okay, Kagome?"

Kagome faked a smile. "Oh, I'm fine considering I just found out that the rest of the band has to be at least two years older than I am."

"But you're turning sixteen soon, right?" Inuyasha asked.

"Well, in six months, but still! You guys are all older than me!" she pouted.

"That means that we can take care of you better," Koga said, walking over to where she was sitting and giving her shoulders a squeeze. "Besides, I turned seventeen a month ago and Inuyasha turned seventeen two and a half months ago. The one you should worry about it Miroku. He's nineteen and somehow this has affected his brain. He seems to think that he can just run around with whomever he deems worthy. But don't let him fool you."

"What do you mean by that?" Kagome asked.

Both Inuyasha and Koga were smirking. "Because he's still a virgin."

The trio erupted into laughter. Even though he was a terrible letch, Miroku's advances never went very far. He was rather pathetic, it seemed. Inuyasha began to tell them about what Miroku had been like when he was young. Apparently he'd always liked the girls, but he was never quite sure how to behave around them. And his father, who had died of prostate cancer when Miroku was ten, wasn't the best male role model ever, so Miroku decided that he needed a new male role model. Inuyasha's father.

"I swear, the kid just marched up to my father one afternoon and said, 'How are you today, Dad?'" Inuyasha said. "My father gave him something of a sideways look, but he didn't say anything. From then on, Miroku was just part of the family. Sesshoumaru wasn't exactly fond of the idea of another little brother, but he knew better than to protest it. And now, well, none of us can imagine life without Miroku. It's kind of pathetic, really."

Kagome shook her head. "I don't think so. I think that's really nice what you guys did for him. Taking him in after his father died."

"Yeah, but his mother is still alive," Koga pointed out. "But I guess she's not much of a mother."

"She's an alcoholic," Inuyasha informed the new front girl. "Miroku needed a safe haven and my parents gave it to him. I know that my mother always felt sorry for him, so she was always willing to let him stay the night, even if we had school the next morning. Eventually Miroku got his own room with his own bed and everything. Dad died shortly after that."

"And does Miroku ever go home?"

"Just to check on his mother. The rest of the time he's freeloading off of us," Inuyasha answered. "And we always wonder why he's so desperate to start a family."

"Seems to me that there's more to it than just carrying on his blood line."

"I think part of it is the desire to prove that he's a going to be a good parent. Hey, you think that Sango will ever take him up on his offer?" Inuyasha asked.

Kagome shrugged. "I don't know. But at the moment, the chances are slim."

The trio shook their heads sadly, knowing that their beloved drummer only wanted a little bit of love in his life, but due to his rather unorthodox methods of asking for it, he was sadly without.

"Maybe we could set them up," Koga suggested.

"Sango and Miroku? If she doesn't rip his testicles off first," Kagome replied.

Both Inuyasha and Koga winced and drew their legs together. At first she was confused, but then she remembered that all men had male genitalia ESP. For a guy, just watching someone take a shot in the pills was a painful experience.

"Um, sorry about that image guys."

Inuyasha looked at her crossly. "Yeah, well it's a little late for that."

Kagome giggled. "Guess so. Well, I need to start cleaning this place up before my mom gets home. Thanks for your help."

Koga gave her a dashing smile. "Anytime, Kagome."

"No problem," Inuyasha shrugged. He let himself out the kitchen door, expecting Koga to do the same, but the bassist didn't move. In fact he was still talking to Kagome. _Oh Lord, do not ask her out! Wait a minute, _Inuyasha thought, _where'd that come from?! It's not like I feel anything for Kagome? Do I?_

He continued to watch the pair until Koga leaned in and quickly brushed his lips across hers. The punk actually kissed her! Inuyasha could feel his blood boiling, but he wasn't sure why. He was dating her cousin for crying out loud! There was no reason for him to be jealous, but he was. It was weird, really, really weird.

Inuyasha walked halfway across the yard before Koga caught up to him. The idiot was grinning from ear to ear like a child who had just gotten away with sneaking a cookie before dinner.

"She's really wonderful."

"I'm happy for you," Inuyasha muttered.

"But I haven't told you anything yet!"

"You've said enough."

"Come on Inuyasha, you've never liked her. I mean she did go pawing through your underwear but come on man, she's cute, and sweet, and funny and she's just great!"

"Spare me the ramblings of a love sick fool."

"Inuyasha, you seem upset."

"I'm not into the whole mushy-gushy romance thing, that's all."

"And Kikyo's okay with this?"

"Kikyo's not one for the mushy-gushy romance thing either. We just don't expect a whole lot from our relationship, that's all."

"At least tell me that you've kissed."

They'd reached the steps that led down to the street. Inuyasha shrugged. "Yeah, sure we've kissed."

"That's as mushy-gushy as it gets, isn't it."

"People like me don't date people like her. Sesshoumaru would shit bricks if he knew that I was dating the help."

"Tell him anyway."

"WHY?"

"Because I want to know if it really is possible to shit bricks."

"It's an expression half wit."

"I know, I'm just playing with ya man. Just don't act all disgusted or anything. You know, I think Kagome likes me too."

"Maybe."

"Oh come on Inuyasha, I can see it in her eyes. She likes me."

Inuyasha burst out laughing. "Why any girl would like you is beyond me! You hardly ever bathe, you enjoy watching brainless TV and your favorite past time is looking up porn on the Internet."

"Okay, the first two are true but Miroku's the one who's looking up porn. Why he does it on my computer is beyond me, but I'm going to kick his ass if he keeps it up."

"Sure, whatever you say, Koga."

"Are you callin' me a liar?"

"Maybe."

"Rot in Hell, Inuyasha Taji."

"You'd have to kill me first!"

"No problem."

"Kill me and the band goes nowhere. Keep that in mind."

"Damn you."

Inuyasha just smirked.

* * *

Soooooo, yeah. That's the end of this chapter. I know, it totally grossed me out to have Koga kiss Kagome and everything, but I had to give Inuyasha an excuse to become really jealous. It just wouldn't be the same if Inuyasha was getting worked up over nothing. Naturally things are going to become interesting from here on out.

Hope everyone enjoyed. Now be good readers and leave a review!!!

MercyAngel09


	4. Unruhig

Face the Music

Chapter 4: Unruhig (restless)

Disclaimers: Inuyasha and co belong to Rumiko Takahashi, et al.

Author's Notes: Gosh, I am soooooo sorry! I realize that it's been quite a while since I last posted, and I'm so, so sorry! I really do have quite a bit written, it's just that it's such a pain in the neck to transfer it from one computer to the one with Internet access. Anyway, I have most of the story on the computer with Internet access so hopefully updating will be a bit easier.

* * *

Inuyasha struck a chord and waited. A moment later a voice reverberated throughout the arena. "Try it again, Inuyasha. I think we may have a faulty connection, but I'm not sure."

Inuyasha hit the same chord again, once again waiting for the result. What he got was a solid D minor chord echoing in the empty space. He gave the thumbs up to the sound booth before putting his guitar down. Miroku was busy setting up his drums while Koga tuned his bass to Hakakku's keyboard.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna go get some water," Inuyasha said as he jumped off of the stage. The pyrotechnics crew was busy setting up a few fountains at the base of the stage, so he was careful to avoid the guys. There was something that unnerved him about someone who made a career out of playing with fire.

"Mr. Taji?" a voice asked.

Inuyasha turned around to see one of the security guys glaring down at him. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No sir, it's something else. Do you know a Kagome Higurashi? She's here claiming she needs to rehearse with the band."

Inuyasha grimaced. She was going to expose the Smurf boxers for sure after this. "Yeah, she's here to rehearse all right. I must have forgotten her rehearsal pass. Damn, she's gonna string up me for this one."

"Right, we just wanted to be sure. Bring her in boys."

Kagome was brought in between two rather beefy looking guys, and she looked pissed off. The minute she saw Inuyasha, the pissed off look became one of pure, livid anger. "You prick!" she spat. "Did you want me to do this number for you or not!"

"I'm sorry?" Inuyasha said with a shrug.

"You're so lucky that I don't work for you any more," she growled.

"Believe me, I know," Inuyasha muttered. He made a mental note to count his underwear before he went to bed that night.

"So, where do you want me to be?" she asked, looking around the arena.

Inuyasha knew he wasn't supposed to stare, but he couldn't help it. Kagome looked good. She was wearing a pair of faded boot cut jeans with Vans and a black Nintendo tee shirt that said, "Don't Make Me Go Zelda On You." She had pulled her hair back at the nape of her neck into loose ponytail to keep it out of her face. Sadly he couldn't tell her how cute she was, she'd rip out his tongue if she knew. So he turned his attention to the stage with a shrug. "I suppose you should get on stage. Miroku and the guys will get you situated. And avoid the pyrotechnics team, they've been testing some of their products."

Kagome gave him a quick salute before running off and jumping onto the stage, being careful to avoid the guys working with the gunpowder.

Inuyasha took this as an opportunity to run as fast as his legs would carry him to the hallway. He needed fresh air, a cool drink, and a cold shower. Too bad that someone else had other plans for him at that moment.

"Should we record the concert?"

Inuyasha snapped up from over the drinking fountain, wiping the dripping water from his chin with the back of his hand. "What?"

"The fans are going to want something, obviously. Should we have a preorder sheet for a live recording of the concert?" Sesshoumaru was busily writing on a clipboard. What he was writing, Inuyasha couldn't begin to guess.

"Whatever the hell you want."

"Be serious, Inuyasha," Sesshoumaru answered, glaring at his younger brother over the clipboard and a pair of reading glasses that were perched at the end of his nose.

"I was, dumbass."

"Do you want this concert to take place or not?"

"Fine, record the whole damn concert if you want. Whatever song the fans like we'll release as a single. Does that work for you?"

Sesshoumaru looked thoughtful for a moment, unconsciously sucking on the end of his pen. "I like it. We could even circulate it to local radio stations."

"Hey, I don't know about that . . ."

"I wasn't thinking the big ones, yet. I was thinking the smaller, more localized ones. Hopefully that doesn't offend you."

"I'll have to talk to the guys, so I don't know yet. Just give us a couple of days, okay?"

Sesshoumaru put his hands up. "Sure, anything the creative genius wants. And while you're at it, I want you guys to start thinking contract negotiations."

"Why?"

"Because you might have a label by the end of the night," Sesshoumaru answered, one eyebrow raised. "And decide if you want Kagome to be permanent part of the band. Guest spots are good, but another voice could make or break the band."

Inuyasha was left to ponder his brother's words as Sesshoumaru went off to draw up a final cost for the whole affair.

* * *

"So anyway there's this really famous hypnotist and he comes from a long line of hypnotists. He decides that for his next show he's going to try something no one has ever tried before and hypnotize the whole audience. He pulls out a pocket watch that's been in his family for years and begins to swing it back and forth. 'Keep your eyes on my watch,' he tells the audience. 'Feel yourselves relax and come under my control. You will all . . .' But he was swinging it just a little to hard because he dropped it shortly after. 'SHIT!' he yells really loud as he watches this priceless watch shatter before his eyes."

The band, with the exception of Inuyasha, were gathered around Miroku's drum set, telling jokes until their fearless leader returned from whatever he was doing. It didn't take fifteen minutes just to get water, did it?

Miroku had decided to start the joke session with one about the difference between the Rolling Stones and a Scotsman, and now Koga was telling one. All eyes were on the bassist, who was grinning.

"So what's the punch line?" Ginta asked.

"It took him a week to clean up the auditorium!"

Kagome looked disgusted while the guys burst out laughing, thinking that it was the most hysterical thing they'd ever heard. She realized that all men were amused by toilet humor, and this didn't change until after they were dead.

"Okay, okay, Kagome, you tell one," Hakakku said.

"Oh, I don't know . . ." she said, looking around the group.

"Aw, even you know a good joke," Miroku said, tapping her playfully with one of his drumsticks.

Kagome shifted her weight nervously. "Do I have to?"

"Go for it," Ginta grinned.

"Okay, so one day this elephant was walking through the jungle when he stepped on a thorn. He started screaming in pain and hopping around, calling for anyone to help him. Suddenly this little mouse appears and tells the elephant that he can help, but for a price. The elephant is in so much pain that he agrees, without even asking what the price was. The mouse easily removes the thorn and the elephant is so grateful that he agrees to anything that the mouse desires. The mouse replies that the elephant must let him have his way with the elephant. The elephant rolls his eyes and agrees; after all, he did take that thorn out of his foot. The elephant is just sitting there, thinking that this was totally lame, when a monkey sees this mouse humping the elephant. 'That's totally disgusting!' the monkey thinks and begins to throw coconuts at the elephant. Taken by surprise and pain, the elephant shouts, 'Ow, ow!' The mouse just replies, 'Take it all, bitch!'"  
At first the men were silent, totally shocked that their sweet, innocent Kagome would tell such a joke, but then they burst into applause, oh yes, she was one of them now.

"Did I miss something?"

"Oh Fearless Leader, you have shown up at last!" Koga said in his best (and worst) Russian accent.

"Stuff it, Boris," Inuyasha grumbled. "Okay guys, we need to do a warm up, so if you'll humor me and take up your instruments, we'll do a quick mini jam before rehearsing. Kagome, how long do you have?"

"A couple of hours," she replied.

"Great, we'll rehearse your number first and then after you leave, we'll do the wrap up. Sound like a plan?"

"Of course, mon Capitan!" Miroku said with a salute.

"Don't make me stick those where the sun don't shine, Miroku."

Miroku chuckled nervously. "Right, four count, and we'll tune."

"You aren't tuned?"

"Just kidding. I guess we'd better do this, before one of us dies. One, two, one two, three, four!"

For a freeform jam session, they weren't bad. Miroku started with a simple rhythm that Hakakku started to play with. Before long Inuyasha started up a riff that Koga was having no problems going along with. The Youkai Hunters were good at what they did, and Kagome knew that they'd be huge. If she'd be huge with them was an entirely different story.

After three minutes or so they wound down until they reached a stopping point, and for anyone who didn't know that they'd been goofing around, it sounded like they'd been playing intentionally.

"We sound good guys," Inuyasha said. "But we need to sound better tomorrow."

"Yeah, raves of screaming girls throwing their underwear on stage," Miroku said, his eyes glazing over.

"Snap out of, little pervert man," Koga said, snapping his fingers in front of Miroku's face. "You'll be in back. Inuyasha and I will be receiving the panties."

"And poor Kagome," Ginta added from his post in the front row. He had little to do with the rehearsals, with the exception of making sure that they sounded okay.

"Any panties thrown in my direction get kicked back to the audience," Kagome replied, walking up to the microphone. "Test, test, hello, this is Kagome Higurashi and you're on the air with the Youkai Hunters."

The band chuckled.

"Okay, c'mon Miroku, let's get this underway," Inuyasha said, quickly double-checking his tuning.

"Right, one, two, three, four!" He started into "Endless Dream" and Kagome could feel the familiar wave of the song wash over her. She'd been singing it non-stop for the last few weeks, annoying her brother to no end.

They went through the song five times before Inuyasha felt that they were able to perform it without a hitch. Kagome loved how they sounded, and she hung around for another half hour to listen to them run through a few of their other songs before dismissing herself. She was going to need some sleep and a hot shower before the performance.

It was a warm summer evening, the kind where the crickets came out early and began their serenade that would last well into the night. She was two blocks from home when her friends came running up to her, breathless.

"Kagome, there you are!" Eri panted.

"We've been looking all over for you!" Yuka explained. "We've got some great news!"

"Like what?" Kagome asked, still heading for home.

"We have tickets to a concert tonight," Ayumi told her.

"Tickets?" Kagome asked, puzzled.

"A local band, they're called the Youkai Hungers," Eri said, producing four tickets from her pocket.

"Youkai Hunters," Kagome corrected. "I hate to disappoint you, but I can't go with you."

"But why not? You don't have homework, do you?" Ayumi asked.

"No, no homework, just other plans. Why don't you guys ask Hojo to go with you?" she suggested. Oh, the shit was going to hit the fan when they found out why she wasn't going to be with them.

"Well, okay," Yuka said slowly. "We'll see ya later then."

Her friends walked down the street as Kagome began to trudge up the stairs towards her house. Man, she was going to have a hell of time explaining just how she managed to join the band. Her friends were going to have a field day with this for sure. She entered the house, heels dragging, feeling an urge to either drown herself in the bath or hang herself with a pair of pantyhose that she swore she'd never wear.

"Kagome, telephone."

Oh fan-freakin'-tastic! "I'll get it in the living room," she called. Picking up the extension, she sighed into the phone. "This is Kagome."

"Sound alive, cuz."

"I wish I could. Please tell me you'll be at the concert."

"Rooting you on from the front row."

"Inuyasha got you the best seat in the house, huh?"

"Of course. He's such a great boyfriend."

"Woo-hoo for you."

"Kagome, you sound like you're either going to be sick or you're going to drop dead at any moment. If not both. What's wrong?"

"Eri, Yuka and Ayumi invited me to the concert. They already bought me a ticket!"

"That's nice of them."

"Kiki! That's not funny! They're gonna string me up by my bowels after this! They're going to accuse me of holding back juicy gossip. They're my friends, they have every right to know that I'm part of the band!"

"Aren't you a guest vocalist?"

"They're still debating on whether or not they want to keep me on as a permanent member. It's entirely possible that I could be in on this for the long run."

"Now that's cool."

"Kikyo! Be serious!"

"I was. Listen Kagome, what do you want to do?"

"I don't know . . ."

"We've known each other for our entire lives. And you've always loved to sing. Remember how we used to put the radio on and pretend that we were singers? I couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but you've always been able to sing well. Don't knock your talent Kagome, they'd be stupid not to keep you. I know deep down you want to do this badly. Don't let the opportunity slip by."

"But I don't know . . ."

"Kagome, remember how people used to tell us that we were twins? Well, sometimes I think that we could be. We're complete and total opposites. I don't like getting up in front of lots of people. Public speaking scares the bejeezes out of me."

"You're kidding!"

"I'm not. But you're natural when you're in front of huge crowds and I don't think that you have anything to worry about. Think of this concert as a trial run. If it's something that you love, you shouldn't run away from it."

There was silence on the line until Kagome spoke. "Thanks, Kiki."

"No problem, Kag. I'll see you later tonight. Inuyasha said there's supposed to be a killer after concert party as his place afterwards."

"I didn't know about that."

"Wonder why . . . maybe they weren't gonna tell you until after the concert. Well, tell your mom that you're staying the night with me. That should be fine, right?"

"Well duh. Granted we ever get to your house, right?"

"Right! And don't worry, I have pjs and a sleeping bag you can borrow."

"You rock, Kikyo."

"I know. But you do too. Don't forget it either."

"Thanks. See ya."

"See ya."

Kagome hung up the phone and stared at the floor for a moment and was startled out her thoughts when the phone rang again. Her hand flew to the phone and answered, without missing a beat. "Hello, this is Kagome."

"Hey Kagome."

"Oh, hey Sango. What's up?"

"What do you wear to a concert?"

Kagome bit her lip. "Say what?"

"I got a ticket from an anonymous person, and I was wondering what wear."

"So Miroku sent you a ticket?"

"Miroku? Are you sure?"

"Remember, he's the one that keeps asking you to bear his child."

"Yeah . . . why does he keep doing that?"

"Ahh . . ." Kagome laughed nervously, "he's a perv, that's why. And as for what to wear, just wear whatever you want. It's not like anyone is going to care. Concert going rule number one: wear something comfortable. Rule number two: don't wear anything that you'll get over heated in."

"I'm sitting in the front row . . ."

"Yeah, so you'll be close to lights and the pyrotechnics. Better not wear anything flammable."

"That goes for you too."

"Gee, thanks. Not even Kikyo had that warning for me."

"She's probably too worried about that hunk of burning love known as Inuyasha."

"Oh gaah! Like I really need that image, Sango!"

"Why you're welcome. Okay, I'll let you go. You probably want to take a nap and a bath before you have to perform in front of a full auditorium."

"Full?"

"Yeah, the concert sold out."

"Sold out?"

"Oh yeah, all of the radio stations were talking about it. What they're looking forward to is a single. If you guys are a hit, I want to be the first one to buy a single."

"I think I'm going to barf."

"Not while you're on the phone with me!"

"Oh Sango," Kagome groaned, her voice wavering.

"Right, you, go bathe. I'll see you at the concert."

"Thanks Sango," Kagome muttered.

She hung up the phone and shuffled out of the living room to the bathroom. She drew a bath and then stripped and got in. The hot water did little to relax her all ready frayed nerves. It was going to take a miracle to get through the night.

* * *

Inuyasha paced around the stage, knowing that he should have said something to Kagome before she left.

"Hey Inuyasha, what's Kagome going to be wearing?" Miroku asked as he handed the bandleader a bottle of water.

"God dammit! You mention that to me now? I should have told her before she left!"

"You mean you don't know what she's wearing?"

"No clue!"

"Inuyasha, we had this talk, remember," Koga said from his seat at the front row. "She's going to be wearing a pair of faded blue jeans and a tee shirt. I don't know what's going to be on the shirt, but I can guess something tasteful. Kagome's not the kind of girl to walk around in a tee shirt with a hemp leaf on the front of it."

"I know that!" Inuyasha growled. "But at least our tee shirts match. We're all wearing our Nintendo tee shirts."

"So call her and make sure she wears the one she was wearing earlier. I mean, I have the 'Know your roots,' Hakakku and Miroku have the Metroid ones, and you your Mario one. Her Zelda one will round off the bunch," Koga pointed out.

"Oh yeah, I'm sure she'll love the suggestion."

"Don't be a chicken shit and give her a call. Or I will."

"I'll call!" Inuyasha snapped, pulling out his cell phone and dialing Kagome's house.

"Hello, this is Kagome." Gah! She wasn't supposed to answer after the first ring! He wanted to leave a message!

"Ahh . . . Kagome, imagine that." Doh! Now he sounded like an idiot.

"I live here, stupid. What do you want?"

"Wear your Zelda tee." Now that was a random way to start off a conversation.

"The one I wore earlier?"

"Yeah, that one. We're all wearing Nintendo tee shirts and I wanted to make sure that you matched."

"Yeah, sure. I just got out of the bath, and I don't think I spilled anything on it."

"Great. Well, see you in an hour or so. You'll be watching the whole thing from the wings, so don't worry about trying to go through the main entrance."

"Wait, I won't be sitting with the audience?"

"Sorry, Kagome. Since you're performing, it's easier if you're on stage with us. I hope that's not a problem."

"Oh, of course not . . . no problem."

"Great! See ya later."

"Yeah . . ."

Kagome felt her stomach lurch as she hung up the phone. She was going to be sick for sure.

"So?" Koga asked.

"She'll be wearing her Zelda shirt," Inuyasha said as he pocketed his phone.

"Right on! We'll match!"

"Stuff it, Miroku."

* * *

When Kagome arrived at the arena, the main entrance was swarming with people, and for the first time she was glad that she didn't have to wait in that line to get in. Rather she flashed her pass to the security at the back entrance and walked backstage. Koga and Ginta were playing BS while Miroku and Hakakku were discussing rhythms. Inuyasha was quickly scanning over music, ticking off parts that were being changed before handing out the revised copies to the rest of the band. Kagome waved at Sesshoumaru, who was yakking away on his cell phone, but was nice enough to wave back at her, along with one of the knees-turned-Jell-O smiles.

It wasn't fair that he could be so beautiful.

"Kagome, great you're here!" Inuyasha said, walking over to her.

She handed her jacket off to an assistant who put it with the rest of the band's excess clothing. "Yeah, I'm here. So what do I need to do?"

"Just hang out until your cue. I'll signal you when you can come on stage. Until then, just hang out in the wings and watch."

"Sounds like a plan."

"Are you okay?" His amber eyes were a mix of concern and fear.

"If you're asking if I'm going to be sick, I think I'm over that. But I'm still nervous."

"We all are. But I think we're doing okay."

"Yeah, Miroku looks like he's doing just fine."

"Miroku is the world's biggest ham so you know he's loving every minute of this."

"Kagome! There you are, babe!" Koga wrapped her into a tight hug and then kissed her flush on the mouth.

"Koga!" Kagome laughed when her mouth was free. "How are you holding up?"

"Great, I just hope that my instrument stays tuned. Nothing sucks more than when your instrument decides that it doesn't want to stay tuned."

"I hear ya."

"Kagome, our Goddess of Victory!" Ginta cheered. "Listen, I got to get my ass to the sound booth. I'll be recording you guys the whole time, so keep your language clean and we'll be good."

"Right, Chief!" the band replied with a salute.

"Is everyone ready?" Sesshoumaru asked. Instead of his normal business suit or polo and khakis, he was wearing a Good Charlotte tee shirt and jeans. He wore a pair of well-worn Nikes on his feet and his long silver blond locks were drawn back into a loose ponytail.

"Where's the business man?" Miroku asked.

"Out," Sesshoumaru replied. "Okay guys, everything's set. I talked to the Thunder Brothers and all pyrotechnics are ready to go off at the precise moment."

Hiten and Manten Raimaru were a pair of brothers who made their living by doing pyrotechnics for any occasion, but they loved doing rock shows best of all, there was an energy that was required for those shows that they loved. They even had a little sister, Souten, which they were training. But no one said anything about her tagging along. If anything, the runt knew how to handle herself.

"So I guess this means that we're ready," Koga said slowly.

"That's right. You guys better assume your positions," Sesshoumaru said, jerking a thumb behind his shoulder to indicate the stage. "The public is getting restless."

The guys nodded and then each took a turn kissing Kagome on her cheek.

"For luck," Miroku said.

"For luck," Hakakku repeated.

"For . . . love!" Koga said with a grin.

Inuyasha hesitated a moment before swooping in and quickly kissing her on the cheek. "For luck, or whatever," he mumbled.

The band took their positions on the stage and waited. And then the curtain went up.

* * *

Okay, like I said, I am so sorry that it took so long. I kept thinking, "Oh, I'll update one of these days . . ." Yeah, it's been, what? A year? At least I'm updating, right? Well, from here on out, life with the band won't be the same. How will their first performance pan out? Will they be the hottest act or a total flop? Will Koga admit his feelings for Kagome? Will Inuyasha rip his heart out when he does?

Only time, and the author, will tell.

TTFN-

Mercy-Angel-09


	5. Subito Volante

Face the Music

Chapter 5 – Subito Volante (Suddenly Flying)

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha and co. Rumiko Takahashi, et al, do.

Author's Notes: Well, well. Who knew that I was going to update this soon? Actually, in the first chapter I noted that I had most of the fic written. Ah ha! So now I'll be updating for a few days here, at least.

At any rate, I do want to list of parings, for those of you who were wondering: Inu/Kag and Inu/Kikyo (but not at the same time . ), Koga/Kag (he wishes!) and Koga/Ayame, Miroku/Sango, and Sesshy is without a partner. Sorry, Sesshoumaru is the loner type, to involved with his work to find a girlfriend. But I will say that Sesshy and Kagome do get along and are friendly with each other, not to mention that Sesshy has this sadistic streak (that will come up in later chapters, I promise!) where he's helping Kagome out. Oh, and by the way, Kikyo has a surprise paring that no one will see coming . . . or maybe they will.

That said, here's the next chapter of Face the Music.

* * *

Kagome watched in awe as the curtain went up along with a flare of fireworks, throwing the band's faces into deep contrast. The guys started off with a cover of Michael Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" that had a punk rock edge to it. If that was the warm up, then there was certainly a lot more in store.

The crowd warmed instantly to the band, whose normal looks and bad boy edge sent the girls into screaming fits. And sure enough, after nearly three songs, panties were being thrown onto the stage. Inuyasha and Koga kicked them aside, not wanting to piss off their girl, though Kagome could have really cared less if Koga pocketed a few pairs. It wasn't like they were dating or anything.

Forty-five minutes into the show, Inuyasha stopped completely, grinning broadly. He had sweat pouring down his face, but he looked like he was enjoying himself immensely. "Well, I think that we're a hit, what do you think?" he asked the rest of the band.

"I think we're a hit too!" Miroku pitched.

"But we have another surprise for you guys."

The crowd cheered.

"Give it up for our girl, Kagome!"

The crowd released a thundering applause as Kagome walked on stage and up to the microphone that Inuyasha had quickly set up.

"Kagome is joining us for a new song that only we, the band, have heard before. Koga wrote both the music and lyrics, and I guess that means that he's sort of the genius behind this whole operation."

The crowd laughed.

"Well, let's see what the girl can do. Miroku!"

"On it, chief! One, two, three, four!"

The guys started into the song and Kagome counted the first twenty-one measures in her head, all the while trying to ignore the fact that her three best friends and Hojo, Sango, and Kikyo were all gaping at her from the front row. During one of the interludes a woman had dragged her over to a makeup table and covered her face so she'd show up on stage, so she was Kagome, yet she wasn't. Oh, she was in deep for this. But what she needed was to concentrate on the song. Yes, the song. Concentrate on the song.

In the heart of JIORAMA street  
The light of hope is shining  
The wings which we use to fly in our dreams  
Is something you and I are looking for  
The truth is hidden in the eyes so blue

Where shall we go to  
Our future roams around now  
And we continue with our journey  
The place of eternity  
And the endless dream  
I want to chase after it without letting go of this hand  
Never!

In the ocean of the turquoise-colored heart  
The signals of the light ship can be heard  
I need to go faster, for this impatient feeling  
No words are needed  
A lie is always hiding in the words so sweet

Let the two of us become one  
Hold on to the crowded waves  
And we continue with our journey  
The space between our hug  
The endless dream  
Cutting through the rainbow headed for the promised light

Where shall we go to  
Our future roams around now  
And we continue with our journey  
The place of eternity  
And the endless dream  
I want to chase after it without letting go of this hand  
Never!

The applause was deafening. Cheers and whistles filled the arena as Kagome took her bow, a self-conscious blush rising in her cheeks, even though no one could see it through all of her make up.

She was about to walk off stage when Koga grabbed her. "Don't go anywhere," he said into her ear. "You're a hit. They like you and they want more."

"We didn't rehearse any more," Kagome hissed.

Inuyasha had inched over and joined in. "Kagome, watch the screen back by the sound booth. Those are the lyrics. You know the melodies; you've heard us rehearse dozens of times. I'll take harmony parts."

"Are you sure!" she squeaked.

"Keh! Of course I am!"

"Okay," Kagome said slowly before turning around and returning to her spot at the microphone. "Well, I guess I'm gonna stick around a little longer," she said with a nervous chuckle. The audience roared in response. "Which one is next Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha introduced the next song, and thus the rest of the evening passed with Kagome Higurashi, front girl for the Youkai Hunters and the fan favorite.

* * *

The concert, over all, was a huge hit. And despite being hit in the face with nearly fifteen pairs of underwear (ranging from thongs to granny panties), Inuyasha was in a good mood after the band had made their final curtain call.

"I think we're liked," Miroku said, running up to the front of the stage to grab a pair of panties, a baby blue thong with a charm on it that said, "Angel."

"Well if we're liked," Koga said, walking up to Kagome and wrapping his arm around her waist, "then Kagome is idol worshiped. The audience couldn't get enough of her! Inuyasha, how did you know to put the lyrics on screen back by the sound booth?"

"Call it a hunch," Inuyasha said as he packed away his instrument. "Kagome's voice and look match our sound. I guess you're part of the group now."

"You mean, like a permanent part?" Kagome squeaked.

"Well duh."

"Great job everyone!" Sesshoumaru said, giving each member of the band a hearty thump on the back. "I believe we're going to release 'Endless Dream' as our first single!"

"What do you mean, 'Our first single'?" Inuyasha asked.

"Welcome to Taji Records, Youkai Hunters."

"What, you're actually going to give us the contract?" Miroku asked, completely surprised.

"You honestly thought that I'd let a gold mine like this get away?"

"You're terrible. I'm your brother, not a gold mine," Inuyasha snorted.

"All the same Inuyasha, you're going to have recording companies banging down our door to get to you, and you'll just have to tell them tough noogie bars. Remember, after concert party back at the house in an hour," he said, walking off to find the contracts that he'd drawn up earlier.

"Congratulations, everyone, we did a great show," Inuyasha said, smiling at everyone. "We'll break out the bubbly back home."

"Inuyasha!"

He turned only to be tackled by Kikyo, who was grinning broadly. "You guys were fantastic! And Kagome, you were totally on fire! I heard guys talking how they couldn't wait until you started appearing in magazines so they could pin your picture up on their walls."

"You're making that up!" Kagome squealed, her cheeks turning a bright shade of red.

"Kagome! I just heard some guy say that he was going to ask you to marry him," Sango said, pushing past a throng of fans swarming the door. Apparently front row seats entitled the bearers a look backstage and a meet and greet with the band.

"Not if I can help it!" Koga said, grabbing Kagome and holding her by her hips.

"Hands off, Koga," Kagome said, pushing away from him.

"KAGOME HIGURASHI, YOU HAVE SOME EXPLANINING TO DO!" three voices bellowed.

The shit hath hit-eth the fan-eth.

"Uh, hi Ayumi, Eri, Yuka. How did you like the show?" she asked nervously.

"Oh it was just fine and dandy until you took the stage!" Eri fumed.

"Honestly girl, we're your best friends and you didn't even tell us!" Yuka added, the look of extreme displeasure mounting on her face.

"How could you keep us in the dark like that!" Ayumi pitched, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Well . . . uh, I didn't want to um, spoil the surprise," Kagome stammered.

"Perhaps Higurashi had her reasons," Hojo reasoned.

"Shut up Hojo!" the three girls bellowed.

"Uh, okay."

"Listen guys, I have some things to do so I'm leaving. I'll see you later, okay?" Kagome said, inching backwards slowly.

"Wait!" Eri screamed.

"Um, yeah, Kagome has to go and do an equipment check so that all of our stuff gets back to the house," Inuyasha said, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her away.

"But I-" Kagome said, confused. She thought that the grounds crew was going to take care of that.

"And I'll go with her to make sure she doesn't forget anything," he said, cutting her off. "Come on Kikyo, we'll drive the equipment truck back to The Mansion."

Kikyo nodded and grabbed her cousin and her boyfriend, standing between them. "Let's hope that the grounds crew hasn't totally screwed everything up. I know how picky you are about your stuff, Inuyasha."

Kagome didn't need to ask how picky he was, having cleaned his room and personally made sure that all of his clothes were organized. "Yeah, let's go."  
"Hey, Kagome? Are you okay?" Kikyo asked suddenly.

Kagome gave her cousin a startled look. "Yeah, why?"

"You're shaking."

Indeed Kagome's hands were trembling and Inuyasha's eyebrow went up. "Did you not eat or something?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, I ate . . . sort of."

"Whatever," Inuyasha sighed as he broke away from the girls and grabbed his guitar case. The grounds crew had already packed away the speakers and amps and were just now loading up the instruments.

Kagome grabbed two of the microphone cases as Kikyo helped to direct a couple of the guys who were loading in the last sub-woofer. Walking into the back of the truck, she set them on the floor next to Inuyasha's amp. The only distinguishing mark was a small symbol for an inu youkai drawn by the volume control.

"Hey, Kagome? Could you scoot over a smidge? I need to put Hakakku's keys in that space behind you," Inuyasha said, the massive black case that held Hakakku's Yamaha keyboard resting on its side in front of him.

"Oh, yeah, sure," she said, shuffling to the space beside the amp to allow Inuyasha to slide the case in the aforementioned space.

"Thanks. Oh, hey, let me help you out," he said, grabbing her waist and pulling her from her rather tight spot.

"T-thanks," she stuttered, getting a really good look into his deep amber eyes.

"Yeah . . ." he said, his voice trailing off. "No problem."

"Hey Inuyasha, can you give me a hand with Miroku's drums?" Kikyo called from the stage.

"Sure!" Inuyasha called, back, removing his hands from where they'd been resting on Kagome's waist.

Kagome stood for a moment after he'd left, trying to calm her heart. She'd just been a major hit in a concert, guys were lining up asking her for dates, and she could have sworn that if Kikyo hadn't called Inuyasha, he would have kissed her.

* * *

She was silent on the ride back to the Mansion, her thoughts swirling around in her head like a dust devil. Inuyasha was one weird guy. He was dating her cousin, yet he acted jealous of any guy who even gave her a sideways glance. She assumed that the only reason why Koga was still a live was because a) he was part of the band, and 2) Inuyasha probably didn't know that Koga had kissed her. Which was a good thing as far as the bassist was concerned.

"Hey, Kagster? You okay?"

Kagome looked up at Kikyo, who was giving her a funny look. Kagome couldn't tell if it was confusion or surprise. "I'm fine," Kagome mumbled as she turned her attention to the door.

"God dammit! Watch what you're doing you SON OF A BITCH!"

"Inuyasha! Watch your mouth and the road!"

"But that ass wipe cut me off!"

"I don't care! There's no reason for you to go postal on us and drive us into a ditch." Kikyo was referring to the drainage ditches that defined the Nerima district of Tokyo. "Just take a deep breath and concentrate on getting us back to the Mansion alive."

Inuyasha snorted as he focused on his driving again.

Whoo-boy, you did not want to mess with the guy when he was mad. The passing streetlights threw the three into a pattern of shadow reliefs, with the occasional really bright light that would illuminate them completely, which added to Inuyasha's fierce look that seemed to have taken up a permanent place on his face.

Kagome glanced over and noticed that Kikyo and Inuyasha were holding hands, when he didn't need to shift, that is. Oh sure, just rub in the fact that she was single. Of course as the front for the Youkai Hunters that wouldn't last very long. What could she do but continue to stare out of the window and hope to God that she made it though the rest of the party without having a nervous breakdown?

* * *

The party was swinging, to say the least. Miroku had party poppers and was going around draping everything that he possibly could in confetti and streamers. At least he was until Kikyo yelled at him to stop because he was creating more work for herself and the rest of the staff. Unless he wanted to clean it up himself, he was given orders to quit. It was then that he decided that the house was covered enough.

Sango was hanging out on one of the couches while a young couple, she was guessing that anyone there had been hand picked by the band themselves, sat next to her discussing the pros and cons of the band.

The room exploded into applause when Kagome and Inuyasha walked in, it was obvious who the two favorites were, though a lot of the girls thought that Miroku had this mysterious sort of charm to him. But the flirting never went any further.

"Smile Kagome, they're cheering for you!" Kikyo said into her ear.

Kagome tried to smile and wave, but it felt like she couldn't move her body. She was running on autopilot as she shook hands with fans and smiled and nodded politely. After ten minutes of the bombardment she was able to break away from the fans and find an empty seat to park herself.

And then she spoke.

"OH MY GOD!"

Well, bellowed was a more appropriate term.

The music, rough cuts of all of the Youkai Hunters work, continued to play but everyone was silent.

"OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!"

"Um, Kagome? Are you okay?" Kikyo asked, walking over to her cousin and gently touching her shoulder.

Kagome jerked away and looked at Kikyo, tears in her eyes. "Do you have ANY idea what I just did!"

"Sure, we all do. We were there," Kikyo said calmly.

"NOOOOOO! You don't!" Kagome howled. "Holy freakin' cows! I was just performing in front of nearly fifteen hundred people! Meeeee! I can't give a speech in school without getting sick to my stomach! I should have barfed all over the front row!"

A few of the people looked disgusted, clearly they'd been right in her line of fire.

"I don't do crowds but I still did it! I'm going to die now." She flopped back in the chair, breathing heavily.

"Kagome, here's a paper bag!" Sango said, pushing her way through the stunned crowed. Kagome grabbed and put it to her lips and it started to inflate and deflate regularly. "Okay sweetie, I think that's enough excitement for today."

Inuyasha nodded at Kikyo and bent over and scooped Kagome into his arms. "Okay party girl, I think you need a time out."

Sesshoumaru walked in at that moment and raised an eyebrow. "Is something wrong?"

"She's just had an overload," Inuyasha said walking by his brother, Kagome cradled in his arms.

Sesshoumaru nodded as he munched on some pretzel sticks. "Well keep her conscious. She has a contract to sign still."

"OH GOD!" Kagome wailed from Inuyasha's arms.

"Was it something I said?" Sesshoumaru said, blinking in confusion.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "Noooo," he replied sarcastically. "Not at all."

* * *

Heheheheh. More after party to come.

Now the story is starting to pick up and the next chapter was my favorite to write. Once you read it, you might understand why. Anyway, I really hope everyone enjoyed, and as usual, R&R.

Mercy-Angel-09


	6. Giocoso

Face the Music

Chapter 6 – Giocoso (Merry)

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha, the wonderful Rumiko Takahashi gets all the credit.

Author's Note: Tee-hee! I'm back, and I must say that it feels good!

That said, I'm happy to bring everyone chapter 6, which was, by far, my favorite chapter to write. Towards the end you'll understand why (I'm expecting lots and lots of squealing fangirls). Mucho thanks to E-chan and Princess M who were my beta readers, and Sister Babbles who helped me come up with some of the ideas for this particular chapter.

Thanks a bunch y'all! I couldn't have done this without ya!

* * *

The room was a blur, but she didn't need to see details to know that it was Inuyasha's room. The overwhelming scent of the sandalwood incense that he'd gotten after she'd cleaned out his room overpowered her nose, causing her to cough a little.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were drunk," he said casually as he placed her on his bed.

"Oh shut up," she mumbled.

"How's our little star?" Sesshoumaru asked he walked in, his hands full of paperwork.

"What the hell is that?" Inuyasha growled.

"Contracts. Everyone has signed them but you and Kagome."

"Can't it wait?"

"Sorry, business is business."

"Man, that's so stupid," Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep, but Sesshoumaru's insistent poking didn't help it. Finally she batted his hands away before pulling herself to a sitting position. She regarded him with mal contempt before speaking. "Where the hell did you get a Good Charlotte tee shirt anyway?"

"I borrowed it from Inuyasha. My normal suits would have seemed out of place," Sesshoumaru shrugged as he riffled through the paperwork. "Okay, Miss Higurashi, all I need is your autograph on a few of these documents. Now don't worry, I'm not out to screw you guys over. Mother would wring my neck in a heart beat if she knew I did it." He gave her a charming smile as he leaned in, inches between their noses. "Besides, I like you too much to take advantage of you."

Inuyasha grabbed his brother's shoulder and firmly pulled him away from Kagome. "Give her some breathing room, you moron. Remember, she was hyperventilating only five minutes ago."

"Sorry, sorry," Sesshoumaru said, tossing his hair. "Just sign the papers and I'll get out of your face and rejoin the party."

"I thought the only parties you attended were the kind where everyone has a look on their faces like they've either smelled shit or they've got a stick jammed up their ass," Inuyasha commented casually from his planet chair, having sat down once he felt that Sesshoumaru had given Kagome sufficient breathing room.

"I'll ignore that for now, little brother, only because I need your stupid signature," Sesshoumaru grumbled.

Inuyasha smirked. "Sure thing, big bro." He stood up and ambled over to his bed (the rather short distance of about six feet) and quickly put his signature on the lines that Sesshoumaru indicated to. Kagome did the same and then Sesshoumaru grinned.

"Thank you so very much. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to rejoin the party and become positively smashed." He rose from where he'd been perched on the bed and wandered out, leaving Inuyasha, Kagome and Kikyo alone.

"Well that was fun," Kikyo said as she rolled her eyes.

"He's more fun than a twister in a trailer park," Inuyasha muttered.

"Listen, could you guys let me rest for a while? You don't have to miss the party on my account. I'll come back down in half an hour or so when the adrenaline rush subsides," Kagome said, leaning back on Inuyasha's pillows.

"Sure thing, Kag," Kikyo said, walking over to her cousin and giving her an affectionate kiss on the forehead.

Inuyasha gave her a heads up and walked out, Kikyo on his heels.

Once she was alone, Kagome heaved a huge sigh. "Holy shit, what have I gotten myself into?" she murmured.

* * *

It was about forty-five minutes later when Kagome rejoined the party and it appeared that things hadn't slowed down in the least. In fact, it appeared that things had actually gotten wilder, that is, if Sesshoumaru running around in just his boxer shorts were any indication.

Kagome was trying to slip over to the couch where Sango was sitting in hopes of making a quiet re-entry, except the overly inebriated Sesshoumaru wasn't going to let her. "Kagome, love!" he said, swaying over towards her and putting one muscular arm around her shoulders. "The belle of the ball has returned! Whattaya say you and I hop on the good foot and do the bad thing?"

Kagome flushed about fifteen shades of red before Inuyasha came to her rescue. "How about you go and sleep off all that champagne you've consumed?"

"Awww, does my widdle brudder not like me hitting on his lead singer?" Sesshoumaru asked, a goofy grin plastered on his face.

"I don't think our lead singer likes you hitting on our lead singer," Koga remarked.

Indeed Kagome was mortified beyond words.

Sesshoumaru shrugged before taking another swig from the champagne bottle that had become permanently glued to his hand. He stumbled off, probably looking for another chick to bed, but everyone at the party knew better than to sleep with the head of the Taji Corporation.

Kagome plunked herself down on the couch next to Sango, who was bopping her head to the music. "So how's the party?" Kagome asked.

Sango shrugged. "It's okay. Sesshoumaru's been seeing how much he can drink before he nails someone or passes out."

"Obviously neither, at this point," Kagome noted, watching her former employer hit on every girl at the party.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Kagome looked up at Inuyasha, who was standing on the other side of the coffee table that was in front of the creamy white leather couch. "Yeah, but I'm starting to fall asleep."

"But you've only been back for ten minutes," Inuyasha told her.

"I'm not a late nighter," Kagome answered, stifling a yawn.

"Go up to my room then. I shudder to think about what might be going on in the other rooms," he said. Family bedrooms were located on the third floor, which had been labeled off-limits at the beginning of the party. But the second floor guest rooms . . .

"Oh, don't worry about it," Kagome said, giving him a lazy dismissive wave. "I'll go up when I'm tired."

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, whatever." He promptly turned around and joined Kikyo on the dance floor.  
"You are such a liar," Sango commented.

"He's already done so much for me," Kagome said, leaning back. "I don't want to take up his bed. Besides, I'm supposed to be going over to Kiki's."

"I don't think that'll happen," Sango said seriously. "They seem pretty cozy."

Kagome looked at her cousin through half closed eyes. Kikyo and Inuyasha were dancing closely together and very suggestively. "Looks like sex with their clothes on," Kagome mumbled, too tired to care.

"Oh Kagome, you'll find a boyfriend," Sango said, placing her hand on Kagome's knee and shaking her leg.

"At the moment, I don't really care about what they're doing or how it relates to me," Kagome yawned. "I just want to sleep."

"Adrenaline burnout, huh?"

"Totally." Kagome's eyes were fully closed now and her breathing was slowing.

"Is our princess sleeping?" Miroku asked as he walked up to the two girls on the couch, smiling fondly at his lead singer.

"She's conked. Where should we put her?" Sango asked.

Miroku looked around the living room, chewing on his lower lip thoughtfully. "We'll have to put her in Inuyasha's room. He and Kikyo aren't going anywhere soon."

"She's gonna kill us in the morning," Sango chuckled.

"Well, I'll just have to face my fate like a man," Miroku said with a smile as he bent down and picked up the sleeping front girl.

"I'll go with you," Sango said, standing up with him. "This party is starting to suck."

Many of the couples had taken up space in the guestrooms, with the remaining partygoers either dancing closely or making out on the numerous couches or settees. Koga, Ginta and Hakakku were playing rummy and obviously Kagome was asleep.

Once the trio was in the safety of Inuyasha's room and away from the strange giggles, moans and creaking of the second floor, Miroku placed Kagome on the bed. Sango sat down in the planet chair and Miroku planted himself at her feet.

"It's hard to believe that our dear, sweet Kagome is now the front girl for a punk rock band," Sango said softly.

"Yeah, the dear girl."

Sango giggled. "Okay mister, now that I have you alone, I wanna know the truth. Why do you keep asking me to bear you a child?"

Miroku sighed as he scratched his head. "I was hoping that you wouldn't ask me that yet, but since you did . . . I was diagnosed with cancer a few years back. They keep telling me that I'll die soon. Perhaps now you understand my urgency."

"Are you kidding?"

"Nope, the guys will back me up. I'm an only child and I want to continue my line, but if I can't get a girl . . . obviously you see the dilemma."

"Somewhat," Sango said, her body curled in the chair. "So basically you use your illness to get laid."

"Not as much as you might think," Miroku argued with a shrug. "I mean, if the girl asks, that's the response she gets."

"I see," Sango yawned. "You know, I think Kagome has the right idea."

Miroku gave her a lazy smile. "Yeah, me too. Stay put, I'll get you a blanket." He got to his feet and shuffled over to the closet and pulled a blanket from one of the shelves. Shuffling back over to her, he opened the blanket and spread it over her. "There you go."

Sango smiled. "You can be quite the charming gentleman."

"Thank you. Does that mean that you'll bear me a child?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"Figured, but I couldn't pass up the opportunity."

* * *

The party stopped at about four in the morning, the last couple staggering out into the still morning air. Sesshoumaru had gone off somewhere; Inuyasha assumed that his older brother had finally gone up to bed to sleep off the booze.

His arm around Kikyo's waist, Inuyasha trudged up two flights of stairs, down the hall, and into his room. Ginta, Hakakku, and Koga were in a pile in the corner of his room. Sango was curled up like a cat in his planet chair, Miroku's head lolling at her knees. Kagome was gripping his body pillow for dear life, wedged between it and the wall.

Kikyo was half asleep as he guided her to the bed. Inuyasha figured that he'd sleep between the girls, since Kikyo liked to hang on the edge.

Once they were settled, he found sleep quickly, exhaustion carrying him to dreamland.

* * *

It was the chirping of the birds, a cool breeze on a summer morning, and the warm sunshine on his back that woke Sesshoumaru. Pulling himself from the bushes, he could smell vomit on him. He stumbled down the path, to where he wasn't sure; he had one hell of a hangover.

He was pondering exactly how he'd ended up in the bushes, when some fairly cold water rudely awakened him. When he surfaced, he let out a yelp of surprise.

"Sesshoumaru?" Jaken was standing by the poolside, slightly disheveled from having jumped out of bed so quickly.

"Ah, Jaken, good morning," Sesshoumaru said with a small wave.

"Sir, what are you doing in the pool at this hour?"

"Isn't it obvious, you little toad, I'm going for a swim."

Jaken peered into the water. "Butt naked, sir?"

Sesshoumaru flushed. "I find it more refreshing."

"If you say so sir." Jaken sighed. "I'll go get your bathrobe."

"Thank you." Sesshoumaru watched Jaken scurry into the house, wondering just when he'd lost his boxers. He made a mental note not to drink so much at the next party he attended.

* * *

Sesshoumaru's yelp of surprise woke more people than just Jaken.

Koga pushed Ginta and Hakakku off of him and sat up, his long black hair in disarray.

Sango had also woken up, and found Miroku's hand on her thigh. "You pervert!" she yelled as she smacked him and sent him rolling backwards.

This yelp and action woke up every one else in Inuyasha's room, except Kagome, who was still blissfully asleep.

"Huzzuh . . . um . . . what?" Inuyasha mumbled. He blinked and looked around. Kikyo was barely awake and blinking in surprise. Both Ginta and Hakakku were sitting up next to Koga, all three watching the unfolding events in mild interest. Miroku was flat on his back, a bright red handprint on his face, burning angrily. "What in God's name did you do this time, letch?"

"I didn't do anything!" Miroku protested.

"You had your hand on my thigh, you perv!"

"Oh, I didn't know it was there. Must have swung it up there when I was sleeping," Miroku said with a shrug. Looking around the room, he shook his head and blinked a few times before smiling. "Who's up for breakfast?"

Everyone raised their hands, except Kagome who was still sleeping. Kikyo leaned over Inuyasha and shook her cousin, still wedged between the body pillow and the wall, trying to wake her. "Kagome, wake up sleepy head."

Kagome moaned, "But mommy, I don't feel good. Do I have to go to school?"

This gained a titter from the groggy crowd, until Koga realized exactly where Kagome was sleeping.

"WHAT THE HELL IS SHE DOING ON YOUR BED!" he bellowed.

Apparently the stories of Kagome being able to sleep through anything were a flat out lie, seeing as she had just jumped a good four feet in the air from a completely unconscious state. "Where's the fire? Where's the robber? I'll punch his lights out!"

"Kag, Koga was just wondering how you ended up in the bed with myself and Inuyasha," Kikyo explained, standing up and stretching. "Of course, now that I'm thinking about it, I'm kind of wondering that myself."

"I swear, you weren't here when I got here."

"Inuyasha, two girls at once? That takes talent," Miroku quipped.

Inuyasha glared at his drummer, who was giving him a lazy smile. "You sneaky, god-dammed son of a bitch," Inuyasha growled. "I'd smack you but it looks like you've had your beating quota for this morning. But once the clock strikes noon, your ass is grass."

"The poor girl was tired and all of the guest rooms were . . . erm, occupied for lack of a better term, so Sango and I brought her up here," Miroku explained. "You had to be the last one in, because I remember when Ginta, Hakakku and Koga came in at about two, but you and Kikyo weren't here yet. Clearly you decided to say, 'Screw you, I'm sleeping in my own bed tonight, and I don't really give a damn if someone is there or not.'"

This had been true. Inuyasha didn't want to think about what kind of a state the guest rooms might be in, and putting Kagome in one of those wasn't exactly high on his priority list. "Fine, whatever. Let's just get breakfast. I'm starving."

* * *

When the eight people plodded down to the kitchen, they found Sesshoumaru with his head in the sink, water running over his scalp. His long silver white hair was damp and a navy blue terry cloth bathrobe covered him.

"Sir, what would you like for breakfast?" Jaken asked, giving his master a rather terrified look.

"Nothing, Jaken," Sesshoumaru grumbled. "I don't think I could keep it – eerrrrrruuuuppp – down." And as if on cue, the contents of Sesshoumaru's stomach came back up and into the sink.

"Well, looks like someone had too much to drink," Inuyasha smirked in delight. "And where did you wake up this morning?"

"That's none of your business," Sesshoumaru grumbled as he shuffled out of the kitchen, Jaken at his heels.

"Hey, Myoga, what's up with mister frouffy pants this morning?" Inuyasha asked.

Myoga looked up from the staff schedule, trying to see whom he could call in to help with the gigantic mess that the party had left. "Apparently he woke up in the bushes, stark naked. Then, in his possibly still drunken stupor, managed to walk straight into the pool, stark naked."

"Wait, he was naked under that bathrobe?" Kikyo asked, a sort of evil curiosity lurking in her eyes.

"It certainly appears that way," Myoga said, not looking up from his list of phone numbers.

"Wow, and we missed it," Sango said, sitting down at the table between Kikyo and Miroku.

"You can't honestly tell me that you want to see my brother naked as a jaybird, do you?" Inuyasha asked in disbelief.

"And why not?" Kikyo asked playfully. "I have to admit, there is something very attractive about him."

Kagome, though still half asleep, managed a mischievous grin of her own. "Yeah, that, 'I'm-gonna-jump-you-given-the-proper-opportunity' attractive thing about him."

It was hard to miss the hurt looks on Miroku, Koga and Inuyasha's faces. Ginta and Hakakku were both smirking and shaking their heads. They knew that the girls knew better than to act on the knee jerk attraction for the head of the Taji Corporation. It was just funny to watch the Three Stooges worry about it.

* * *

After a breakfast of near upchuckings, the eight walked into the living room and immediately regretted doing so.

"Wow, our party did all of this?" Miroku asked in awe, and to no one in particular.

As it turned out, Sesshoumaru must have lost his boxers when he was in the house because they were hanging from their genuine Austrian crystal chandelier. Shirts, socks, bras and tennis shoes were scattered along the floor and furniture, and what wasn't covered in random articles of clothing was covered with Miroku's confetti.

"And you wondered why I told you to stop when I did," Kikyo told him with a sigh. "I'll be cleaning up this mess for weeks."

"I'll help," Sango offered.

"Yeah, me too," Kagome added. "I feel guilty, and the funny thing is, I spent practically all of the party in Inuyasha's room."

"Don't worry about it Kagome, we'll get it," Koga said, jumping between her and the random articles of clothing she was about to clean up.

"Yeah, you didn't make the mess, so you don't have to clean it up," Kikyo told her. "The rest of us partied just a little too hard."

"Well isn't that the understatement of the century," someone grumbled from behind them. Sesshoumaru stood in the doorway, leaning heavily against the doorjamb, ice pack in hand, and surveying the scene in total disgust.

"You helped, you know," Inuyasha muttered. "Besides, I'm not the one who woke up in the bushes in my birthday suit."

The girls tittered.

"Oh shut up," Sesshoumaru sighed as he placed the ice pack against his forehead.

"Well, in any case, if you were wondering, you lost your skivvies in here," Inuyasha said, pointing to the chandelier. A brilliant blush spread across Sesshoumaru's cheeks when he looked up. "Kinda makes me wonder what the hell you did to get them stuck up there though."

Sesshoumaru glowered at his younger brother.

"Listen, we're going to start cleaning before Myoga's cleaning crew gets here," Kikyo informed her employer. "Hopefully by then we'll have the worst of it taken care of. And if you find a box or something that we could put these lost articles of clothing into, that'd be great."

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "Do as you please, far be it from me to stop you from cleaning up after yourselves. As for a box for your little lost and found, you might check the basement storage rooms."

Kikyo nodded as he shuffled out, his bathrobe billowing just enough to create a gap in the front and giving the girls a decent look at his leg. A little further and-

"That pervert almost flashed us," Koga grumbled.

"Dammit! Not fair!" Sango whined.

"I know, we almost got to see him naked too," Kagome pitched in.

Kikyo couldn't say anything, she was doubled over in laughter. Not like the girls didn't want to see him naked, but it was mostly for show now, since it really seemed to bug the guys when they did it.

* * *

End Note: How Sesshoumaru Ended Up Naked In the Bushes

Author grins wickedly As I was coming up with some of the ideas for this particular chapter, my friends and I decided that we'd put Sesshoumaru completely out of character and get him really freakin' drunk. Totally pissed. Completely smashed. Shit faced as all hell. And it was really fun to do.

Anyway, we decided that he'd have to wake up naked in the bushes the next morning. Sister Babbles suggested that he wake up with some animal . . . I opted to leave the animal out of it. That idea proved to be too much for me.

Finally, after much discussion, my sister and I came up with the perfect anecdote for how Sesshoumaru ended up in the bushes, stark naked.

After Kagome had gone up to sleep, Sesshoumaru continued with his amorous pursuits of the evening. He finally found a girl that said yes, and in his happiness in finding a girl that said that she'd sleep with him, took off his underwear in the middle of the living room, and threw them up in the air. But they didn't come down and remained lodged on the chandelier until he fetched them the next morning in complete mortification. The girl had agreed to meet Sesshy in his room (third floor, mind you), but she stood him up, because let's face it, no one at the party was drunk enough to sleep with the head of a very powerful multi-billion dollar company (they were sure that there'd be serious repercussions if they did). So poor Sesshy was left up in his room, naked () and alone. While he was waiting for his "date", he opened the window for a breath of fresh air. Being extremely intoxicated, he leaned out to look for her, and promptly fell out, and into the bushes, which broke his fall. (I figure that while jumping from a third story window might kill most people, proper shrubbery can save you.) He passed out (finally) from all of the alcohol he'd consumed, and remained there until he woke up the next morning.

End of Anecdote

Once again, big, huge thank yous to Sister Babbles, E-chan, and Princess M, who helped me out with this.

Mercy-Angel-09


	7. Comodo

Face the Music

Chapter 7 – Comodo (Comfortable)

Disclaimers – I don't own Inuyasha, he belongs to the wonderfully brilliant Rumiko Takahashi.

Author's Notes – I'm pleased with everyone's reactions. Inu'sHardcoreBitchThatLovesRamenm, I'm glad that you enjoyed it. I must say, you were the only person that needed oxygen after reading it. Things are getting a tad more serious here, with the band actually advancing and things starting to look up for them. That isn't to say that it's not humorous in places, but the serious undertones are going to start appearing.

Well, anyway, I still hope everyone enjoys.

* * *

Miroku was tapping Sesshoumaru's cherry wood desk with his drumsticks, headphones covering his ears as he played along to Aerosmith's "Walk this Way." The other five members of the band were watching him, faintly amused at his sheer idiocy. Sesshoumaru was going to kill him if he scratched the desk, and they knew it.

When Sesshoumaru walked in only a few minutes later, he rather calmly walked by the group; Miroku, Kagome and Ginta were sitting in the chairs in front of the desk while Koga and Hakakku were standing behind them. Inuyasha was sprawled on a couch on one of the walls, mindlessly thumbing through a magazine. The head of the Taji Corporation paused long enough to snatch Miroku's drumsticks before sitting down in his leather executive's chair. "Welcome Youkai Hunters, to your first meeting."

Everyone except Inuyasha smiled sheepishly. This was weird.

"I trust everyone has had the time to officially review the contracts?"

The group nodded, except Inuyasha.

"Good. I want you to know that the live recording single of 'Endless Dream' has been climbing up the charts by leaps and bounds and it is predicted that you will have the number one single in the country by sometime next week."

The band looked amongst each other, all grins, except Inuyasha.

"And with the success of last month's concert, I must insist on a tour. Nothing too big just yet, five or six small shows to test the waters. If all goes well, we'll find a larger band that will be willing to take you on as an opening act. If you guys and Kagome can prove that you're the real deal, you'll have your own concert tour and you might even be lucky enough to nit pick over who opens for your tour."

He was faced with a sea of smiles, except from Inuyasha, who was still thumbing through the magazine. "Inuyasha, have you heard a word that I've said?" Sesshoumaru demanded, his eyebrows shooting up slightly.

"Maybe," Inuyasha replied, his hand muffling his voice. He had moved just slightly so that his jaw was resting in his palm.

"Inuyasha, this is your future we're talking about. And as much as you want to deny the fact that you are almost an adult, you can't. This could make or break you. Should this fail and this little feat costs the company money, you'll be on your own, do you understand me?"

"Of course I understand. But you have the statistics in front of you. We're within the reach of a number one single, our first concert sold out, I think we've got something."

"Inuyasha, I wish I could have your overbearing egocentric sense of confidence, but I have a few other statistics. I'm not entirely sure if you know who Onigumo Naraku is, but I feel it rather important to tell you."

Miroku looked thoughtful for a second. "Onigumo Naraku, of Naraku Industries?"

"The same," Sesshoumaru answered coldly. "Apparently he's caught wind of our little stunt, and seems to think that it's a brilliant idea. He's going to put together a band of his own to compete with you. That bastard might take our idea and claim it for his own. And if that happens, well, I shouldn't have to tell you the consequence of that."

"Let me guess, he takes the credit and we're labeled as the rip offs," Kagome answered dryly. "This guy sounds like a real peach."

"You have no idea. So now you understand why it is imperative for you to succeed. Kagome, you're a gem. The fans react well to you, and clearly most of you boys have some degree of boyish charm about you," Sesshoumaru went on, "so as far as your look goes, don't change it. Lyrically you're fine, I believe that the fans react to your lyrics better than someone who's paid to sit around and write poetry. Oh, and keep up some of the covers. The one you did of Michael Jackson's 'Smooth Criminal' went over insanely well. If you can think of any other songs that you'd like to cover, let me know so we don't have to be up to our eyeballs in legal red tape."

"What about show effects?" Ginta asked. "The pyrotechnics were a hit."

"Yes, that was my next point," Sesshoumaru said, looking down at the various documents in front of him. "The pyrotechnics were a hit, and I believe that the original and creative designs of the Thunder Brothers had something to do with that. Would you like to keep them on?"

"Um," Miroku said, looking around. Inuyasha was still not paying attention, so he decided to take control. "Well, I like what they did, and-" he noted that everyone else was nodding in agreement, "-I think it would be a good idea."

Sesshoumaru scribbled something on one of the documents before looking with at them with a grin. "Well boys and Kagome, I believe if all of your shows were like the one you had a month ago, you'll do fine. You're dismissed."

They all rose, even Inuyasha, and filed out of the door. Kagome lagged back a bit and addressed Sesshoumaru. "Thank you, for everything."

He looked at her with a smile on his face. "You know, when I was younger I would have loved to have Inuyasha thrown out. The punk had no sense of responsibility. He would have frittered away his half of the fortune, easily. So I had father change the will at the last moment," Sesshoumaru explained. "Father had no qualms about this, and easily did so. Mother was beside herself that we did this to my dear baby brother, but it was simply for his own good. I think this band gives him a sense of responsibility, and far be it from me to take that away from him."

"But I'm confused, are you doing this for yourself or for Inuyasha?"

"Both of us, I suppose. I stand to expand the company and Inuyasha learns a sense of responsibility. Keep him in check. He may be seventeen, but he still acts like a child," Sesshoumaru advised. "I'll let you know about concert dates. That's not going to interfere with your life is it? I can arrange for a private tutor, if you'd like."

Sesshoumaru was always cool in his business dealings, but it seemed like he'd taken a general liking to Kagome. But then again, she was probably part of his plan to make Inuyasha into a prime citizen.

When Kagome finally managed to make it down to the lobby of the Taji Corporation's main building, she was still thinking about what Sesshoumaru had said. What had changed in their lives that their own father had been willing to make such a change in his last will and testament? She would have to ask Inuyasha, but judging from the pissed off look on his face, she would have to ask him later.

"And what took you so long?" Inuyasha asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I was just thanking him for everything that he's done," Kagome replied, walking by her band mates. "Not like any of you would think to do that."

"I'll thank him when we're showing up on MTV Cribs," Koga told her.

Kagome rolled her eyes. "You guys need a lesson in gratitude."

* * *

Five AM was an ungodly hour at which to be getting out of bed, yet Kagome was, and trying to resist the urge to dive under the covers and sleep the rest of the day, the Youkai Hunter's tour be damned.

Sesshoumaru had gathered the band in his office a week after their first meeting and informed them that they were going to be hitting major cities only. Tokyo was taken care of, obviously, and that left Sapporo, where they would start their tour, then Nagano, down to Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima, Fukuoka, and ending in Kagoshima. Most of their time would be spent on the road, which Kagome didn't mind, with two-hour shows every couple of days.

And now she was lugging a giant yellow knapsack down the stairs, along with a matching suitcase, and hoped to God that she could sleep on the bus. Toru was waiting for her down on the street, and grimaced when he picked up her knapsack. "Good lord, Kagome, you're only going to be gone for a month! This feels like you've packed for a year!"

"You can't be too careful," Kagome said, tossing her suitcase in the back of the Land Rover. "You never know when something might get ruined."

"I suppose you have a point, but still," Toru said as he shut the door. Kagome climbed in as Toru went around the other side and climbed into the driver's seat. "So you know, there are two busses, and the band will be divided between them. I believe Ginta Hakakku and Koga will take one while Inuyasha, Miroku, and you take the other. And, is your friend coming?"

Kagome hadn't liked the idea of being the only girl on the tour and had begged Sesshoumaru to let her bring Kikyo and Sango along. Sesshoumaru had denied Kikyo, under the pretenses that she was too valuable to the house staff, but he'd allowed Sango. And lucky for Sango, Kohaku had been accepted into a private boarding school that his family had attended for generations. "Yes, thank God. I think I would have lost it if I were the only girl."

Toru laughed. "Yeah, I guess that's the problem with being the only girl in a group of guys. Well, you two keep the boys out of trouble."

"Easier said that done."

"I know, but I felt as if I should say something."

"Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, but when the guys decide to make trouble, far be it from me to stop them. Hopefully your security can take care of that, granted they're not in on their little pranks."

"That is a possibility, but if things go too far, Master Sesshoumaru won't have a problem pulling the plug on this little operation. Oh, here we are."

"There really are two busses. Hey, what's that semi for?"

"Your equipment. All of your speakers, microphones and instruments are loaded into that one eighteen wheeler. The Thunder Brothers have their own truck as well. In all there will be four vehicles. Security will be split between the two tour busses, but they won't bug you."

"That's comforting."

"And there's your friend Sango. She looks awake."

Toru was right, Sango was bouncing like an excited child. She'd never been a roadie before and the entire prospect about hanging out with Japan's hottest new band was making her extremely hyper. When Kagome got out of the car, Sango came running over to her. "Kagome, which bus are we going to be in?"

Kagome looked at the two busses before shrugging. "Which ever one doesn't have Koga. He's starting to weird me out, ya know? Claiming that I'm his girl and stuff like that."

"Stalkerish."

"You're telling me! You're not the one he's making advances on."

"Speaking of advances, Miroku has asked me at least five times to bear him a child this morning. Do think that it's nerves?"

"Maybe. But who ever heard of stress relief in the form of . . . oh God, never mind."

Sango looked disgusted for a moment. "Oh ew. Like I really need that at five thirty in the morning. Besides, it's not like we'll have any privacy anyway."

"You make it sound like you want to sleep with the guy."

"I DO NOT!" Sango bellowed.

"Quick to deny. You're in love."

"I am not! How could I love a lecher like that! He gropes me every chance he gets, he never misses an opportunity to ask me to bear him a child, and what's worse, he asks the same thing of every girl he meets!"

"Excuses, excuses. Every time I asked you to come over, you couldn't wait. I think you liked coming over because you got to see Miroku. You know, you really deserve much more than him."

"Ack! Kagome, I can't believe that you'd even suggest something so . . so . . . ludicrous!"

"Believe it, sweetheart. Come on, let's get on a bus and hope to God that it's the right one."

Kagome picked up her suitcase, and with her knapsack on her back, climbed up the steps and into the tour bus. The bus itself was the size of a normal charter bus, but instead of rows and rows of seats, it was divided into three little parts. The front third was the little kitchenette/dining area, with a table and two benches, a small two range stove, a toaster oven and a microwave, with cupboards that had been stocked. The second third was the sleeping area, with six bunks, three on either side of the aisle, stacked like bunk beds. The last third was a living room type area, with couches, a TV, VCR and DVD players, and various game consoles. There was also a small lavatory off to one side. Soft overhead lighting made it livable during the nights and early morning, and during the day the large windows would accommodate solar lighting.

"Wow," Kagome breathed, Sango peering anxiously over her shoulder.

"Wow is an understatement," she murmured.

"Will you two get on the damn bus so we can get out of here? If I have to hear Sesshoumaru tell me that we're completely responsible for our images one more time, I'm going to either commit suicide or hurl."

The girls turned around, blushing sheepishly at Inuyasha, who was glaring at them impatiently. Miroku was behind him, laden with three different bags. "Yes ladies, if you could keep moving that'd be great . . ."

They scurried into the main part of the bus, throwing their bags onto the table and the benches. "So where do we put our stuff?" Kagome asked.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Pick a bunk."

Kagome took the middle bunk on the right side and Sango took the one above it. Inuyasha took the top bunk on the left side, leaving Miroku to take the middle one below it.

"Sango, what are you doing?"

Sango had taken out a plastic dish from her backpack and placed it on the floor under the table. She had also pulled out what looked like a pet bed and was about to put that back on one of the couches in the back room. "What?"

"Those . . . things. What are they for?" Inuyasha asked.

"They're for my cat."

"Your . . . cat."

"Yes, Kirara." A small meow came from the back of the bus, where a black and cream-colored cat was staring at them. She had a rather fluffy coat and two tails, with bright orange eyes that were staring at them inquisitively. "That is Kirara. I wouldn't have brought her if I had some place for her to be, but seeing as my neighbors can't take her in, I brought her along."

"This is a band tour bus, not a mobile zoo."

"Oh come on, Inuyasha," Kagome said, bending down to pet Kirara's head. "She's just one cat. Besides, she's box trained."

"And just where will this box go?" Inuyasha asked, his eyes narrowing.

"I was thinking in the lavatory. There should be enough room for it."

"You have got to be kidding me."

"Would you prefer it to be under the table with her food dish? Or perhaps back in the entertainment area?"

"Lavatory's fine."

Sango nodded knowingly. "Thought so."

"I didn't know you had a cat," Miroku said, bending down and petting Kirara on the head. "She's very sweet."

"But she's absolutely brutal with the mice," Sango said as she put Kirara's bed on one of the couches in the back.

"Nice to know that our bus will be mouse free," Inuyasha muttered.

Sango shot him a dirty look, but she gave a giant yawn and didn't argue. "Well, I'm going to crawl back into bed. I woke up about two hours earlier than I should have and I'm already tired."

Miroku yawned as well. "I hear ya. You two, try to keep the bickering to a dull roar."

Inuyasha and Kagome glowered at the pair, who each climbed into their respective bunks and slid their "drapes" shut. A few last minute items were thrown into the under storage compartment before security boarded and the buses rolled out into the morning.

"Hey, Inuyasha?"

"What?"

"Is there a mini fridge or something? I'm kinda hungry."

Inuyasha sighed as he opened the cupboard next to the little sink and revealed a fridge, and the cupboard above it was a freezer. "What do you want? We have toaster strudel."

"What kind?"

"Cream cheese and raspberry. Oh, and it looks like some chocolate fudge as well."

"I'll have chocolate fudge."

"Should have known. Two?"

"Uh, sure."

"'Kay." Inuyasha pulled two of the toaster strudel out and placed them in the toaster oven to cook. He reached up to the cupboard above the sink and pulled down a plate and set it on the little counter.

"Are you making my breakfast?"

He looked at Kagome with a raised eyebrow. "No. You remove it from the toaster oven yourself. And look, you even get to do your own frosting." He held up the frosting packet with a smirk.

"Oh ha, ha, Mr. Nice Guy."

The toaster oven let out a small 'ding' signifying that it was done cooking and Kagome reached in quickly and pulled out her warm pastries. She quickly squeezed some frosting from the packet onto them, causing it to drip and melt, and then followed Inuyasha to the back of the bus to the sitting area.

Kirara had curled up on her bed and was sleeping just as peacefully as her master as Inuyasha flipped on the TV and his Gamecube. Kagome wasn't sure what he was going to play until the Retro Studios logo came up on the screen.

"Metroid Prime, huh?"

Inuyasha raised an eyebrow. "Not many girls know about Metroid."

"I have a younger brother who lives and breathes video games. I play a few myself," she said with a shrug before taking a bite of her toaster strudel.

Inuyasha snorted. "Oh really? Like what?"

"I've played Eternal Darkness, most of the Zelda games, and most of the Final Fantasy games too. But I have to admit, I really love the Zelda games."

"What's your favorite?"

Kagome looked thoughtful for a moment as she ate her pastry. "I would have to say The Ocarina of Time, but the Wind Waker was pretty neat too. The graphics took some getting used to, but over all the game play was good. And of course the subplots were terrific. I swear, they just keep getting better and better."

"I don't know, that cell shaded look made it seem too," Inuyasha paused as he searched for the proper word in his vocabulary, "kiddie."

"Too kiddie? I dunno," Kagome argued. "Sure, it looks kiddie but after a while you forget about the graphics. It's the storyline that counts. Besides, the graphics are good and the game controls are fairly innovative."

"They're a rip off of The Ocarina of Time."

"Yes and no. They're similar, I won't deny that, but they've tweaked it so that it works a little better," Kagome pointed out.

Inuyasha chuckled. "I can't believe that I'm arguing video games with a girl."

Kagome snorted, but didn't say anything. She wanted to make some comment about how she was in a band with a guy so immature that his father changed his will at the last moment, but decided that she really didn't want to make him mad at the beginning of the tour.

"I suppose Sesshoumaru told you about my father's will."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha in total surprise, and he was completely focused on fighting a few space pirates. He had read her mind. "Yeah, so?" she said nonchalantly.

"You're probably wondering what I did to get myself cut off like that."

Kagome swallowed the last of her toaster strudel nervously. "I was kind of curious."

Inuyasha sighed. "It's stupid, really. My own damn fault. Pop died last spring, as I'm sure you're aware. Well, that previous winter I managed to get myself into a little bit of trouble. Nothing too major, but enough to make the old man change his mind when it came to me and the will.

"I'd become involved with this group of guys I went to school with. We'd get together as baseball games and stuff like that and place bets. Nothing serious, no loan sharks or nothing, but we were still betting. I managed to bet on the wrong team at the wrong time and well . . . you can guess what happened."

"How much did you loose?"

"Hundred grand. Pop wasn't too happy and Sesshoumaru managed to convince him to leave the entirety of the company to him. I would only get my share once I showed some responsibility. Pop couldn't argue with him there, so he changed his will so that Sesshoumaru would be the sole heir to the company and I would get my share once I showed responsibility. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I guess if it'll ever happen, it'll be after this band has success."

"That's not too bad, right?"

Inuyasha shrugged as he powered up his plasma beam. "I guess not, but Sesshoumaru would have had me completely disowned if he could have. But mom kept that from happening."

"But how could he have had you disowned?"

Inuyasha glanced over at Kagome, sighing warily. "If you must know, Sesshoumaru and I aren't full blooded brothers. We're half siblings."

"Wait, you two had different mothers?"

"Ah, the little family scandal makes headlines," Inuyasha chuckled. "Yup, that's right, we have different mothers. You see, Sesshoumaru was only five or six when his mother died, I really don't know for sure, but anyway my father took up with my mother to ease the pain of his new widower-hood. But after a few years mom got pregnant with me, and Pop, being the respectable guy that he is, married her. Sesshoumaru wasn't too happy about that."

"I can imagine."

"He tried to convince my father that I wasn't technically an heir to the company, but my mother told him that I was still his son and therefore I was an heir and should not be cut off completely. I think my mother threatened to leave him or something over it."

"Your mother is a very amazing person," Kagome said softly.

Inuyasha shrugged. "Mom is pretty amazing. She's strong."

Kagome inched over to where Inuyasha was sitting and gently placed her hand on his shoulder. "Thank you."

He paused his gamed and looked over his shoulder at her. "For what?"

"For giving me a chance."

One corner of his mouth turned up into a half smile. "Sure, no problem." He leaned back against the couch and she did the same, and eventually she was resting her head on his shoulder, watching him play through glazed eyes. After a while she fell asleep and Inuyasha, who didn't have the heart to wake her up, turned off his game, the TV, and then snuggled next to her, and fell asleep.

* * *

Yay! Happiness! Thus the startings of a beautiful, well, something. I'm getting there, I'm getting there! Give me a little time, okay? As you can see, Inuyasha will not remain with Kikyo forever, which of course was my devious plan from the get go. And the story's antagonist, one Onigumo Naraku (yeah, I know, I was real creative with that one) rears his ugly head ('cept I'm pretty sure most fangirls would agree that Naraku is pretty easy on the eyes . . .).

As always, read and review, and let me know if you like the direction I'm taking this.

Ciao – Mercy-Angel-09


	8. Agitato

Face the Music

Chapter 8 – Agitato (Agitated)

Disclaimers – I do not own Inuyasha! I cannot say how much that bums me out, but the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi does.

Author's Notes – All right, send in the new cast members! I'm adding a few characters to this tour to make things a little more interesting, shall we say.

Also, someone said that they didn't like Kikyo and how I made her nice (not to mention a cousin to Kagome). This was done on purpose, mostly because even thought I don't like Kikyo at all, I understand that her life had been very difficult and deep down all she wanted was to be a normal girl. So, if Kikyo had lived under different circumstances, she probably would have been very pleasant and easy to get along with, though she's probably a little shy. Also, under different circumstances, she and Kagome could have been friends. Thus the basis of their relationship. Remember, this is alternate universe for a reason. But trust me, Kikyo will not remain with Inuyasha, not when a little spider whispers into her ear. (Dare y'all to try and figure out what I'm implying with that one!)

* * *

The roar of the expectant crowd was a huge energy boost, which Kagome needed if she was actually going to perform. The first three shows at Sapporo, Nagano, and Nagoya had gone smoothly and had been something of an adjustment period for the band, and something of a set of misadventures as well.

It had started when Miroku and Sango had woken up two and a half hours after they'd left Tokyo and found Kagome and Inuyasha sleeping together in the back of the bus. The pair had teased them relentlessly about cheating on their significant others, although Kagome kept insisting that she and Koga were not a couple and Inuyasha kept claiming that Kagome had fallen asleep first, which was true.

The second one happened just before their first show when some of their refreshments had begun mysteriously disappearing. It took Inuyasha all of ten minutes to find the culprit, a ten-year-old orphan who was tried and hungry, and taking advantage of a situation.

As it turned out the boy's name was Shippo and his parents had died only two months ago in a car crash. He'd been living with an uncle who rarely paid any attention to him, so Kagome invited him along to be an official Youkai Hunter's roadie, much to Inuyasha's dismay. The two boys didn't get along all that well, but Kagome was sure that deep down, Inuyasha loved the way the younger boy followed him around and the younger boy idolized Inuyasha.

At a rest stop near Nagano, a young girl had run up to them begging them for autographs and asking all sorts of questions. Her name was Ayame and she was the number one Koga fan girl, through Koga could have really cared less. But Ayame was persistent and she too joined the two other Youkai Hunter's roadies. As a result, every bunk on the first bus was full, and Inuyasha was starting to reach the end of his rope.

And tonight's show was no exception.

"Ayame, if you're going to be here, stay out of the way!" Inuyasha bellowed as Ayame was ducking around backstage, trying to avoid being crushed by the equipment guys. "You should know that by now!"

Koga grabbed her hand and pulled her off to the side and smiled at her. "He's always grouchy before performing. Don't worry about it."

Ayame melted at Koga's smile and nodded like the devoted fan she was and stayed put and out of the way.

"Shippo! Leave Kagome alone so she can get ready!" Inuyasha yelled at the boy, who was talking to the lead as she was having her makeup done.

"Oh chill out, Inuyasha," Kagome snapped. "He's fine."

Inuyasha glowered at the pair and muttered, "Of course he's fine, he can't do anything wrong in your eyes, can he?"

Miroku placed a hand on his friend's shoulder and chuckled. "Jealousy does not suit you."

"Who . . . who says I'm jealous!"

"It's pretty obvious by now," Miroku said thoughtfully. "You hate how he's always hanging onto Kagome, and what really gets me is that you have a girlfriend and it really shouldn't bother you as much as it does."

Inuyasha turned and glared at his drummer, who chuckled nervously. "I could always be wrong."

"Go grope Sango or something," Inuyasha grumbled.

Miroku brightened. "Sounds good to me!"

Inuyasha rolled his eyes as his drummer wandered off, looking for their first roadie and a slap in the face. "What an idiot."

"Yo, Inuyasha."

"What is it Koga." Inuyasha's temper was wearing thinner and thinner.

"Whoa, someone's upset," Koga said, eyeing his bandleader carefully. "Listen, I think we should do a public thank you to Kagome, since she's really taken this band to place we never could have reached without her."

Inuyasha looked at Koga, blinking in surprise. "But, why?"

Koga shrugged. "Thought it'd be nice. She deserves it, putting up with that brat all day."

"Kagome's used to him. She has a brother and a cousin that age."

"Yeah, but still, she's amazing, especially since she spends all of her free time cooped up on a bus with you."

"Yeah, but she'd rather spend time with me than with you."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"You have your own fan girl, go hang out with her."

Koga glared at Inuyasha before leaving, scowling at the wall in front of him. All he was doing was trying to do something nice for Kagome and Inuyasha shoots him down. They owed a good portion of their success to her and he didn't even want to give her any credit. Either she was really starting to piss him off, or Inuyasha was the most ungrateful bastard on the planet, and Koga was willing to bet a vital organ that it was the latter option.

"Ginta, Hakkaku, can we talk?" Koga asked as he walked up to his two friends.

"What's up, amigo?" Hakkaku asked, munching idly on a pretzel stick.

"I want to do a public thank you to Kagome. She really deserves it."

"Ah, a noble ideal," Miroku said, wandering over to them, a handprint burning angrily on his left cheek.

"Groped Sango again?" Ginta asked.

Miroku smirked and shrugged. "So you want to thank the woman who's taken us so far in the world of small concerts. What does Inuyasha think?"

"Inuyasha doesn't see a point to it," Koga muttered. "Thinks that it's pointless."

"Hey." The group jumped in surprise and then turned to look at Inuyasha, who was glaring at them. "I don't think that it's stupid to thank Kagome or nothing, so don't think that I was being an ass. But why do we gotta do it in front of a stinkin' crowd?"

"Because, it'll embarrass her," Miroku said rather cheerfully, "and I know you think that she's cute when she blushes."

"Rot in hell, Miroku."

"Aww, come on! You want to thank her, I know you do!" Miroku said in a singsong. "We owe her, big time."

"Can't we buy her flowers or something?" Inuyasha asked, his voice rising in pitch as he whined. "Why do we gotta do this?"

"'Cause it'll be fun, stupid," Hakkaku said. "And Koga's right, she's what's taken us so far."

"I know that!" Inuyasha fumed. "But still, why does it have to be in front of the crowd? Most of them don't even know that she wasn't part of the original band! As far as they're concerned, she's always been a part of the band, so why don't we just throw her a surprise party or somethin' at the end of the tour."

"We could do that, or we could do something completely spur of the moment and thank her in the middle of the set," Koga grinned. "Now doesn't that sound like fun?"

"That sounds like trouble," Inuyasha muttered.

* * *

Kagome jumped up and down a few times, swung her arms around and inhaled deeply.

"Aren't you over your stage fright yet?" Sango asked, watching her friend warm up.

Kagome released her breath and shook her head. "I feel like there are dozens of butterflies fluttering around in my stomach."

"Don't worry, Kagome," Shippo said brightly. "You won't embarrass yourself."

Kagome smiled at the boy, who'd pulled back his unruly cinnamon colored hair with a big green bow. "I know."

"Knock 'em dead!" Sango grinned as Kagome took the stage with the boys.

"Think the guys'll embarrass her tonight?" Shippo asked as the crowd roared.

"Fifteen hundred yen says that they'll mortify her completely."

* * *

Half way through the set, Inuyasha hushed the crowd and then smiled at Kagome. "At the request of some of my band mates-" Kagome's face drained of color, "-we'd like to thank Kagome Higurashi, our front girl, for all she's done for us."

The crowd applauded.

"I have to admit that this was one of my more brilliant ideas."

Koga's eyebrows shot up. "Your idea? You didn't even want her in the band!"

Inuyasha glared at his bassist. "Don't be stupid, of course I did."

"No you didn't! As I recall, it was a vote of three to two to keep her and you were one of those two!"

Kagome was blushing a brilliant scarlet as Shippo dug fifteen hundred yen out of his pocket and handed to a grinning Sango.

"Yeah, well . . . I let her join, didn't I?"

"Only because Miroku and I practically begged you to let her join!"

Miroku and Hakkaku had long since fallen silent, stunned at their band mates' stupidity. Now the drummer stood up and cleared his throat. "Hey now, don't bring me into this."

"Shut up!" the pair bellowed.

"Why don't you two shut up!" Kagome suddenly yelled.

The auditorium fell silent. The band blinked.

"I can't believe you! You want to thank me by humiliating me! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" she screamed before storming off stage.

"It's your fault!" Inuyasha and Koga yelled at each other at the same time.

"Boy do you have that right," a voice grumbled as he pushed his way through the stunned crowd. Once he reached the stage, he brushed past security and took center stage. "I'm so sorry about this. Another show at 12:00 pm tomorrow afternoon will honor all tickets for tonight's show."

The crowd grumbled as they began to filter out of the auditorium. Then a very displeased Sesshoumaru faced down the band. "Well this is a fine mess you've created," he huffed. "Your lead singer probably won't want to talk to you."

"What he said!" Miroku quipped from his drum set.

"Oh, don't think that you're not on the shit list," Sesshoumaru snapped. "You could have shut them up."

Miroku recoiled and stared at his snare.

"Come on," Sesshoumaru sighed. "We're going back to the hotel."

* * *

The silence in the fifteen-person van was tense. Sesshoumaru was driving and Kagome was sitting shotgun next to him. Inuyasha was sitting behind Sesshoumaru and Koga was sitting behind Kagome, with Shippo between them. The second row had Sango sitting behind Inuyasha, Miroku behind Shippo and Ayame behind Koga. Ginta and Hakkaku had taken up the second to last row and their personal effects, which hadn't been taken to the hotel, took up the last row/trunk.

Finally Sesshoumaru broke the silence with a sigh. "Kagome, I want to apologize for the behavior of your lead guitarist and bassist. If there's anything that I can do to make it up to you, just say so."

Kagome, who'd been watching Gion pass by through the window, turned around and glared at Inuyasha and Koga, who were looking at her sheepishly. And then an evil idea formed in her head. "Actually," she said, a slow grin spreading across her face, "there is something. After the concert in Tokyo, the one with the less than savory after party clean up, you asked me if I wanted to hop on the good foot and do the bad thing. I may take you up on that offer."

Both Sango and Miroku coughed uncomfortably. Ginta and Hakkaku were smirking. Both Shippo and Ayame were blinking in confusion. Inuyasha and Koga were livid.

And Sesshoumaru was blushing furiously. "Oh come now, I couldn't have said that," he stammered.

"Oh yes you did," Inuyasha growled, grabbing the back of Sesshoumaru's seat and pulling himself forward so he could growl into his brother's ear.

Koga was giving him the death glare via the rear view mirror. "Yeah, you embarrassed her worse than we just did."

Sesshoumaru swung his head around and glared at the pair. "I was drunk at the time, and quite frankly, with the exception of the people in this van, no one will remember."

"Sesshoumaru, look out!" Kagome suddenly screamed.

Turning quickly, he saw that a small child had run out into the road and was now facing the van like a deer caught in the headlights. He slammed on the breaks, causing everyone in the van to lurch forward and stopped just before the child was hit.

"Oh my God!" Kagome gasped as she quickly undid her seatbelt and jumped out of the van. "Is she okay?"

Sesshoumaru did the same and they both reached the child at the same time. She appeared to be about seven or eight years old, filthy with a tangle of wild black hair. She was unconscious on the pavement, about six inches from the grill of the van.

"She's so young," Kagome breathed as she quickly removed her jacket and placed over the girl.

"She's so dirty," Sesshoumaru noted.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Kagome urged.

Sesshoumaru nodded and gently picked her up. "My God, she's like a skeleton."

Kagome climbed back into the van and waited for Sesshoumaru to place the girl in her lap. "She's probably homeless," she whispered.

"Malnourished and completely filthy. I wouldn't doubt it."

Inuyasha felt a sudden twinge of regret about embarrassing her, especially since she was so selfless. "Are we taking a detour?" he asked softly.

Sesshoumaru sighed. "I'll make you a deal, Inuyasha. You drive the van and everyone else back to the hotel after I drive the girl and myself to the hospital."

"Okay," came the subdued response.

After ten minutes or silence, they reached the hospital. Sesshoumaru gently cradled the young girl against his chest as Kagome tried to keep up with him as he strode down the short hall to the ER's nurse's station.

The nurse at the desk looked up and gasped. "Well bless my stars! Sesshoumaru Taji is standing in front of my desk!" She looked about fifty with black hair that was starting to turn grey at her temples, a rather heavy build, and very curious brown eyes.

Sesshoumaru's right eyebrow went up in irritation. "It's a small world," he said tightly. "But there's a more pressing issue at hand. I almost hit this girl with my vehicle after she ran into the street. This is not the only problem. She's half-starved and extremely filthy."

He pulled back Kagome's jacket and showed the girl to the nurse.

"Oh Lord, it's Rin."

"Pardon?"

"Well, her mother, father and brother were murdered when they tried to stop a burglar who had entered their home. She was supposed to be living with a neighbor, but it looks like she's been out in the street for months!"

"And how do you know all this about her?" Sesshoumaru pressed.

"It was all over the papers six months ago! And they never caught the scoundrel who killed her family. You said you almost hit her with your car?"

"Van," Kagome answered, speaking for the first time since they'd entered the hospital.

"No wonder she's in shock," the nurse said. "We'll help you fill in the paper work."

After making a few calls on the hospital lines, she handed a clipboard to Sesshoumaru. He grabbed it and skimmed it over with the eyes of a professional. "What exactly am I signing here?"

"Because you brought her in, we need you to file her cause of admittance," the nurse explained. "It will also allow us to contact social services and get her put into proper care."

Sesshoumaru sighed. "Right."

"Um, Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked.

He glanced at her. "Yes?"

"Can I go?"

"Of course. I'll take taxi back to the hotel."

Kagome shuffled down the hall to the parking lot where the rest of the band and the roadies were waiting.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Shippo asked as Kagome climbed back into the van.

Kagome nodded as she fastened her seatbelt. "Yeah, Sesshoumaru's gonna stay for a while. I think he'll be talking to social services."

"Why?" Inuyasha asked as he started the van and then backed out of his parking spot and into traffic.

"I don't know. I guess he'll tell us when he gets back to the hotel."

* * *

When Sesshoumaru returned to the hotel suite they were staying in, he was dead tired and the band knew better than to try and get answers from him.

The next morning, he was sitting at the table in the dining room, reading the paper and sipping coffee. Kagome peeked in and then cleared her throat. "Um, hi."

Sesshoumaru looked up and then put his paper down and smiled pleasantly at her. "I see the blush has subsided."

"Yeah, but I'm plotting my revenge."

"Good girl. So what's on your mind? Besides revenge, I mean."

"How's Rin?"

"Stable. I spent nearly four hours talking to my lawyer and social services. I'm going to adopt her."

Kagome sat down next to him and stared at him intently. "Really?"

"She can't keep living like that. I think my father rubbed off on me."

"So she'll be fine?"

"It seems that way. While hopefully you and the rest of the band make it through your two shows today without incident, I'll be back at the hospital."

"Good luck."

"You too."

"I should go and wake up the guys."

"Let Inuyasha and Koga sleep," Sesshoumaru advised.

Kagome grinned wickedly. "Sure thing."

* * *

The scene before Kagome, Miroku, Ginta, Hakkaku, Sango, Shippo, and Ayame was a real butt-pucker.

Inuyasha and Koga were flying around the hotel room, cussing, packing, trying to eat and get dressed.

"Dammit! You could have woken us up!" Inuyasha bellowed as he dropped his bag in front of the door where the others were standing.

"But you looked so tired," Kagome answered sweetly as everyone else snickered.

"We're going to be late!" Koga growled as he walked by, pulling up his pants.

"You could have set your alarm," Kagome shrugged.

The pair stopped and glared at her. This was just the beginning.

* * *

The concerts had gone well, but Kagome was lacking a voice. But that was fine with her, she really didn't want to talk much anyway. It wasn't like she had anyone she wanted to talk to, since she'd forced the male members of the band on the same bus, leaving her with Sango, Shippo and Ayame.

Inuyasha and Miroku had whined and complained were about to stage a sit in when Sesshoumaru and his new daughter Rin showed up and forced them onto the other bus. He wished them luck and sent them off, hoping to God that he wouldn't read about any more shenanigans in the papers.

"Hey, are you okay?" Sango asked, sitting at the table across from Kagome.

Kagome shrugged. "Yeah," she replied in a hoarse whisper.

"I really think that we should start planning your revenge. I bet we could get Kikyo and Kaede to help us out."

Kagome nodded. "I'm sure they would too."

"I'll help!" Ayame said, sliding in next to Sango. "I used to pull these pranks at summer camp."

Shippo had been napping, but was now sitting next to Kagome, dozing against her shoulder. "I have some ideas too. I got suspended for a few of these."

Kagome grinned wickedly. "Please, share," she said.

"We'll talk, you nod or something," Sango advised. "You want to be able to sing at the rest of the concerts."

* * *

On the second bus, Inuyasha fuming. "How dare she kick us off our bus!"

"Hey, you're the ones who humiliated her," Miroku said, looking up at his pissed off bandleader from the holy hand of scum.

Both Inuyasha and Koga glared at him as Ginta took the hand with a pair of jokers and then laid down his last card.

"I'm king!" he declared.

Miroku sighed. "And I'm guaranteed to be scum, so Hakkaku, just put your cards down now."

"Hey, how can you be playing cards at a moment like this!" Inuyasha snapped. "Do you realize that most of our things happen to be on the bus in front of us!"

"I do," Miroku answered, "and I'm trying not to think about it. Of course I don't have to worry about my stuff since I didn't embarrass her. Be wary of anything that looks like a powdery residue on your clothing."

Inuyasha flopped down on his newly claimed bunk. "Why?"

"Because I think Sango brought itching powder in case I got any funny ideas."

Inuyasha paled and swallowed nervously. "Well shit."

Miroku nodded. "That's what I said."

* * *

Okay, if you're wondering, fifteen hundred yen equals about $13.66 in US dollars. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn't by our standards.

Also, if you haven't noticed, I've been trying to work in as many characters from the series as possible. So naturally I had to bring in Rin, Shippo and Ayame, and there will be other characters (minor and major) that will make appearances. So when will Toutousai come in? Heh, you'll just have to wait and see, won't you?

Oh yes, the next chapter was also one of my favorites to write. I mean, let's face it, the revenge of the century will take place. Not as much fun as naky Sesshoumaru, but still loads of fun.

As always, Read and Review!

Mercy-Angel-09


	9. Attaca

Face the Music

Chapter 9 – Attaca (Attack)

Disclaimers: Don't own Inu-cutie pie and I never will.

Author's Notes: I feel so loved! My readers are the best! They're like my own personal fan club. Must be a year of the rat thing. (BTW, I'm a huge Prince Yuki fan, despite the fact that I am wearing an "I Heart Kyo" tee shirt today.) **Author gives a huge grin** **and winks**. In any case, the reason why Ayame is on tour with the Youkai Hunters is because she doesn't want to be apart from Koga if she doesn't have to. Besides, Kagome and Ayame get along just fine once Ayame realizes that the Koga/Kagome relationship is completely one sided. As in Ayame knows that Kagome doesn't love Koga, and she's just waiting for Koga to get a clue. Of course, if she has to wait too much longer, she may have to beat a little sense into him. (And who knows, I may have them hook up at some point . . .)

* * *

Sesshoumaru paced around the parlor, nudging large boxes out of the way his feet. Rin sat on a nearby armchair (as the girl had become his shadow since he'd adopted her), watching him with rapt attention. Jaken was perched at a desk, drumming his fingers across the keyboard of the computer that occupied most of the area.

"Dreadfully tacky, being this late," he muttered.

"Sesshoumaru, Mr. Naraku is here," Kikyo announced as she walked into the parlor, the guest at her heels.

"Thank you, Kikyo, oh, and will you please tell Kagome to do something with all of these boxes?" Sesshoumaru sighed.

Kikyo nodded and exited, running up the stairs to presumably Inuyasha's room, where the revenge of the century was about to get underway.

"Having problems with the help?" Naraku asked in his silky smooth voice.

"Not exactly," Sesshoumaru answered as he sat down one of the four armchairs. "So what exactly is on your mind?"

Naraku chuckled as he sat himself down across from Sesshoumaru. "So to the point, I see. Very well, let's cut to the chase." He snapped his fingers and a woman walked in, carrying an envelope. She was of medium height, thin with a pointed face and short, black ponytail. Her crisp, maroon business dress rustled as she handed the envelope to Sesshoumaru. "Thank you, Kagura," Naraku purred. "You're dismissed."

Kagura gave a curt bow and walked out.

Sesshoumaru kept his eyes on Naraku as he began to open the envelope.

"It's not going to explode," Naraku chuckled.

Sesshoumaru raised a thin eyebrow as he reached in and pulled out a slip of paper and then scanned over it. "What is this, a joke?"

"A business venture, if you will."

At this point, Kagome, Sango, Kikyo, Ayame, and Kaede trooped into the parlor and they each grabbed a box and walked back out.

Naraku watched them, his eyebrows knitting in confusion. "What's going on?" he asked as he saw Kaede struggling with a box that was a bit too big for her.

"Just some friendly revenge," Sesshoumaru answered lightly, his eyes now taking in every detail of the slip of paper he held in his hand.

"Friendly revenge?" Naraku repeated. "And how, may I ask, did this come about?"

"My brother and his friend embarrassed the lead singer during a set. She rounded up a few of her friends, including my brother's girlfriend, and now they're . . . well, I'm not sure what they're doing," Sesshoumaru admitted.

Kikyo walked back in to grab a few more boxes when Sesshoumaru summoned her over to where he sat. "What are you doing?"

Kikyo shrugged. "Standard, grade-A revenge."

"But you're his girlfriend."

"And Kagome is my cousin. Blood's thicker than water."

"Ah. Well, we'll talk later, I think."

Naraku was taken by Kikyo. She was beautiful, in that tall, pale, almost gothic way. He found himself disbelieving that she was dating his rival's younger brother.

"I hope your revenge goes well," Naraku said smoothly, "for your cousin's sake."

Something about Naraku gave Kikyo the creeps. "Yeah . . . sure. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to take some more boxes upstairs."

"Yes, yes, go on," Sesshoumaru said with a dismissive wave.

Now Naraku was thinking, and that was dangerous.

"So you want to hold a Battle of the Bands," Sesshoumaru said, pulling Naraku out his thoughts and back to the parlor of the Taji family.

"Yes, the idea being to find new acts and showcase the ones we have. The band that wins gets a nice little cash prize, supplied by the sponsors, of course."

"And you want Taji Corporation to be one of the sponsors?"

"I'm asking you, aren't I? Soni and TDY have already agreed."

"What do I get out of this?"

"Such a shrewd businessman," Naraku said with a dry chuckle, his beady eyes fixed on Sesshoumaru. "You get a chance to sign a few more bands. What do you think?"

"Do I enter a band?"

"By all means, enter the Youkai Hunters! I'm entering my boys."

"By that you mean the Shichinintai?"

"Smart man, that's exactly what it means."

"I'll talk to the band and get back to you."

"Fantastic! Here's my business card. Just leave a message with Kagura, she's my lovely assistant."

"I'll do that," Sesshoumaru answered tightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some revenge to keep tabs on."

"Yes, of course," Naraku said with a bow. "Thank you for your time."

Sesshoumaru bowed and then handed the invitation to Jaken as Naraku left the room. "What a piece of work," he muttered.

"You're telling me! He gives me the creeps!" Jaken said with a shiver.

"I don't like him," Rin said.

Both Sesshoumaru and Jaken stared at her. "From the mouths of babes," Jaken muttered.

* * *

Kagome had always known that revenge was a dish best served cold, however, how cold had always been up for debate. It was with the aid of Shippo and Ayame that she managed to come up with a revenge that was sold cold it made Antarctica look warm. The best part was that she had everyone's full permission to carry out her plan, with Miroku and Ginta and Hakkaku volunteering to help keep the victims out of the way.

Inuyasha was the first victim and Miroku had dragged him out for the day, and perhaps most of the evening as well, granted Inuyasha felt up to going and seeing a movie. But if not, Miroku was to call and let the girls know that they were coming home and that whatever they were doing had to either be quickly finished or ended.

It had started at ten in the morning, when Ayame, Shippo, Sango and Kagome had walked into the Mansion's kitchen, arms filled with boxes and posters of popular boy bands from around the world. BB Mak, NSYNC, the Backstreet Boys, V6, and the newly popular Jpop group, Shichinintai, were all rolled up and tucked under arms as the girls stuffed the boxes wherever they would fit, in the parlor, kitchen, dining room, and foyer. But the boxes weren't all that important, rather it was what was in the boxes.

It had been Shippo who'd mentioned the packing peanuts to begin with. He told them about the time he'd filled one of the storage closets at school with packing peanuts, creating one huge mess that the fourth grade class had to clean up. Ayame suggested that they take down all of his posters and replace them with boy bands and girly type posters (including several of Sailor Moon that were going to replace Faye Valentine) on top of filling his room with packing peanuts.

Once Kikyo had been told, she suggested that they stuff all of his dirty laundry into his closet and then fill the empty holes with packing peanuts.

Then Kagome had the idea of sticking some of the contents from Kirara's litter box into his favorite pair of shoes and then shoving it in the way back of his closet and burying those under dirty clothes and packing peanuts.

Sesshoumaru was more than happy to supply the packing peanuts, seeing as he wanted his brother to suffer as well, mostly because the little stunt that he had pulled had cost the company more money than what was originally going to be spent for a small tour like the one they'd been on.

From the moment that Inuyasha had left, the girls and Shippo were working quickly and efficiently, with Ayame and Shippo replacing posters while Sango filled Inuyasha's favorite pair of black Converse sneakers with kitty roca. Kikyo, Kagome and Kaede were busily shoving dirty clothes into his closet, saving a small little corner for the Shoes of Doom.

"Sango, are you done yet?" Kagome asked as she shoved the last tee shirt in.

Sango grinned as she handed over the black Converse low top sneakers, each with a little gift of kitty roca. "Here you go. In a week it'll be as it's worst. He'll need to aerate them and spray them down with Febreeze until Doomsday."

Kagome cackled as she dove into the closet to put them in the far corner.

"Careful, Kagome," Kikyo warned, "you might not be able to get back out. I swear, that closet can eat people."

As if to prove Kikyo's point, Kagome let out a yelp and tried to scramble away, only to no avail. "Help me! I'm being eaten by his dirty laundry and this is so gross!" There was a slight pause before, "I JUST SUTCK MY FACE IN HIS TIGHTY-WHITIES!"

Kikyo and Sango reached and grabbed Kagome's hands, pulling her out of the Closet of Doom, which had tried to consume her as its annual human sacrifice. Kagome was gasping for breath, trying not to think about what else had been where her face had just been. "I think I'm going to vomit."

"That's not part of the original plan, so you'll have to try to make it to the bathroom, okay? But should you not be able to, I don't think it'll really matter."

"Well that's good to know," Kagome grumbled. "Does anyone have some acid that I could pour on my face?"

"It can't be that bad," Ayame laughed.

"Oh yes it can."

"Hey, Kagome?" Shippo asked suddenly. "Where is Inuyasha anyway?"

"Miroku took him to Disneyland."

"Oh that poor bastard," Sango chuckled.

* * *

"Miroku, explain to me again why we're here." Inuyasha and Miroku were standing just past the front gate of Disneyland Tokyo. A cast member dressed as Cinderella smiled and waved as she walked by, Miroku trying his darnedest not to make a pass at her.

Miroku sighed. "Because we haven't been here in _ages_ Inuyasha."

"But why now, of all times?"

"I thought that you might want a distraction from Kagome. I mean, you've been pretty tweaked over the fact that she won't even talk to you anymore."

"I didn't do a damn thing wrong, you dip."

"You just keep telling yourself that."

"Fine, let's just go on Pirates of the Caribbean, okay?"

"Oh yo ho yo ho, a pirate's life for me!" Miroku sang as he walked towards New Orleans Square.

"I am not with you," Inuyasha mumbled as he followed, a few paces behind.

* * *

Naraku watched the commotion in Inuyasha's room from the driveway for a few minutes, a drippy smile covering his face whenever he could tell that Kikyo was standing the window.

Kikyo, the goddess.

"Kagura, I want you to do something for me."

Kagura's eyebrow twitched. "Yes?"

"I want you to follow Kikyo for me. Find out what she does after work. Leave nothing out."

Kagura shifted in her seat. "Of course."

Naraku smirked. "Kikyo, I'll make you mine, you'll see . . ."

* * *

The finished product was beautiful. It was so beautiful that it brought tears of happiness to Kagome's eyes.

"He'll open the door and BAM!" Shippo said, punching his right first into his left hand, "he'll be covered."

"The boy band posters were a nice touch," Kikyo commented, quickly pressing down the POLICE LINE: DO NOT CROSS yellow caution tape that had somehow worked its way loose.

"I did this to this snotty girl at camp," Ayame said with fond smile. "I cleaned out her cubby, put pinup girls on the walls, and then filled it with rotting leaves."

"Yeah, and it's brilliant," Sango put in.

The phone rang, but no one moved. Rather they stood, admiring Inuyasha's slightly bulging wall and doors.

"Kagome? Telephone."

Kagome turned to Myoga, who was standing down the hall, the cordless phone in hand. She sauntered over and grabbed the phone, expecting her mother. "Yes?"

"Kagome, Inuyasha's in the bathroom and I don't know how long I have."

Kagome bit her lip. "Is he wanting to come home?"

"Yeah. The last ride on the spinning teacups got him. So are you done?"

"Just finished."

"Great. Vacate the area. You don't want to – Shit! He's coming this way. I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Kagome said before hanging up. "We gotta move. Inuyasha's had enough with the Spinning Teacups and so they're leaving the park. Thanks for all of your help."

"It was surprisingly . . . fun," Kikyo admitted. "Come on Kaede, let's go home."

"Okay!" Kaede grinned at her older sister. The girls joined hands and walked off, leaving Shippo, Sango, Ayame, and Kagome in the hall.

"Come on, we'll go back to my place and wait for the bomb to drop," Kagome said, starting to walk down the hall, a bright yellow wad in her hand.

"Cool," Ayame said, following.

"Will do," Sango answered.

Shippo stood still for a second before running after the girls. "Hey! Wait for me!"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Kaede asked as she and Kikyo walked down a side street to get home.

"To a little café. I usually get some coffee on my way home," Kikyo answered.

"Oh, okay!" Kaede answered cheerfully. "Do I get coffee?"

"How about some hot chocolate or some tea?"

"That sounds good!"

Kikyo smiled at her sister, but behind her smile was a feeling like she was being watched. It was starting to creep her out.

* * *

"She said that she almost always goes into the Red Dragon Café."

Kagura raised an eyebrow. "Thanks Kanna. I'll tell Naraku," she said, before hanging up her cell phone. "It's disgusting, his fixation with her." She stood up and walked over to his office door and gave it a quick tap. "Naraku?"

"Come in."

Kagura opened the door and strode in, regarding her employer in a less than favorable manner. "Kanna finished the tail of Kikyo."

Naraku looked up from his paper work. "Really?"

"Why is it when you say that, it reeks of something illegal?"

"I'm not stupid, Kagura. What did you find out?"

"She almost always stops at the Red Dragon Café to get coffee after work," Kagura reported.

Naraku smiled. "Really. Perhaps we'll have a little coffee date."

"Yes sir."

"Thank you, Kagura."

Kagura simply stared at her boss. "You're welcome," she answered flatly.

* * *

"Sesshoumaru, sir," Jaken said as he cleared his throat, "what are you doing?"

The trio of Sesshoumaru, Jaken and Rin were camped out at the crack of Sesshoumaru's door. Sesshoumaru held a small video camera, which was pointed at Inuyasha's bulging door. "We're going to document Kagome's victory over my idiot brother. Perhaps we'll distribute on the Internet."

"A little extreme, don't you think?" Jaken asked.

"Yes and no. But Kagome told me that the room was only the first part."

"What a nice flag!" Rin exclaimed in her childish wonder. "It's happy." She had wandered over to one of Sesshoumaru's bedroom windows out of sheer boredom from waiting.

Sesshoumaru stepped on Jaken as he strode across his bedroom to the window where Rin was standing. He peered out to where Kagome was hoisting a bright yellow, smiling pair of boxer shorts. Spongebob had been run up the flagpole.

"Yes, Rin," Sesshoumaru said with a smirk, "that's a very happy flag."

* * *

For Inuyasha, the world was spinning. Damn Miroku had his childish idea of going to Disneyland. Whoever heard of a Japanese Mickey Mouse anyway?

"Okay, we're home."

Inuyasha slowly rolled his head so he could see Miroku. He couldn't shake the feeling that the drummer was up to something. "Great."

"What? You didn't have fun?"

"I can only go on 'Small World' so many times you ass."

"Well excuse me, Mr. Let's Ride the Haunted Mansion ten times."

"Fine, whatever, let's go."

The boys undid their seatbelts and opened the car doors, and Miroku could see that Inuyasha's window was darker than usual. That, and the bright yellow, smiling boxer shorts that had been run up the flagpole. Thankfully Inuyasha was out of it enough so he didn't notice. They trooped into the house and up to Inuyasha's room, where Miroku stood away from the door.

"Hey, Miroku? Does my door look different to you?" Inuyasha asked, scowling at the yellow caution tape.

Miroku shrugged from about five feet away. "Looks fine to me." He looked down the hall to Sesshoumaru's room and noticed 3 silhouettes hovering in the crack.

Inuyasha shook his head. "You're probably right. Those Spinning Teacups are still messing with my head." He grabbed the handle of his door and slid it open.

"SON OF A –"

**WHAM!**

Inuyasha was buried in an avalanche of packing peanuts in pink, green and white. Miroku watched the flow bury his feet. "She's brilliant," he chuckled.

Inuyasha surfaced, coughing and sputtering. "What the hell is this?" he yelled as he swam into his room.

Miroku felt it would be safer to remain in the hall, though Sesshoumaru was being his usual bold self and came out of his room and hovered in Inuyasha's doorway.

"My posters!" followed by, "Why the hell is that fruit on ceiling?" and then the one cry that everyone had been waiting for.

"WHY THE HELL ARE MY BOXERS UP THE GOD DAMN FLAGPOLE?

Any remaining disorientation left over from the spinning teacups was gone. Inuyasha was standing up to his armpits in packing peanuts by his window, his face flushed in anger. "What the hell did I do to deserve this?" he muttered.

Sesshoumaru panned around the room, noting the boy band posters surrounding the bed. "Oh I don't know," he answered lazily. "Of course Kyoto might have something to do with it."

Inuyasha groaned. Damn Koga and his stupid tribute idea. He waded over to where his desk should be and was relieved when he was able to dig it out his phone. He quickly dialed Kagome's number.

She answered on the third ring with a cheery, "Hello!"

"We need to talk," he growled.

"What's wrong? Was Pirates of the Caribbean closed?"

"No, it was open, but that's not why I'm calling."

"Did Miroku make you ride the spinning teacups until you puked?"

"No! I'm calling about my room!"

"You're room? What's wrong with your room?" she asked innocently.

"Oh don't play stupid with me, Kagome! I know you did this!"

"Did what?"

"Did what!" Inuyasha gawked. "Did what! Packing peanuts, floor to ceiling! Boy bands all over my walls! My boxer shorts up the FUCKING flagpole!"

"Well then," Kagome said nonchalantly, "I guess you'd better salute your shorts."

"Damn you, bitch!" Inuyasha bellowed as he slammed the phone down.

Sesshoumaru and Miroku exchanged a glance. No one got to Inuyasha, no one except Kagome.

* * *

On the other end of the line, Kagome stared at her phone. She had been expecting him to be upset, but he'd flown off the handle completely. She gingerly placed the phone back in its cradle, sighing softly as she did so.

"Did he go nuclear?" Shippo asked.

"Yup," Kagome answered. "He's royally ticked off."

"Well he deserved it," Sango told her friend.

"Yeah, and we need to get Koga still!" Ayame chirped.

Kagome gave her friends a lopsided grin. "You're right! He did deserve it and I shouldn't feel guilty! Shippo, track down some dry ice. Ayame, get the shave gel. Sango and I will get the wire and the cling wrap. The revenge is far from over!"

* * *

Ginta tapped his pencil against the pad of neon green post it notes. "You want Hakkaku and myself to get Koga away from his car? How long?"

The line was silent until, "Two hours, minimum."

"Well, I'll see what I can do. But no promises here," Ginta sighed. "Koga's Eclipse is his pride and joy. Just don't scratch the paint."

"A sub layer of pink cling wrap should keep the wire from scratching the paint."

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Right. I'll call Hakkaku and we'll figure something out."

"Thanks!"

"You're welcome."

Ginta sighed as he hung up his phone and slumped his shoulders. This was asking for trouble. No, this was a death wish, but he couldn't let Kagome down. She deserved this.

Rubbing his temples, he picked up his phone and dialed Hakkaku, trying to come up with an excuse to get Koga away from his car first thing in the morning.

* * *

"I don't see why we can't take my car," Koga whined. "My car is cooler."

"Because I want to drive," Ginta sighed.

"But-"

"No buts! I hate the back seat of your car!" Hakkaku said, cutting Koga off.

"But!"

"No!" Ginta and Hakkaku said.

Koga stuck his lower lip out in a pout. "Fine, be that way. Let's just get this over with."

"But I thought that you like finding new threads," Hakkaku said.

"I do, but I'm not like a girl."

"Whatever, just get in the car," Ginta sighed. This was going to be a very long morning.

* * *

Kagome and the others were crouched in the bushes, watching the entire exchange. "Koga doesn't want to leave his car," she whispered nervously.

"Ginta and Hakkaku will do it," Ayame answered. They watched breathlessly as Koga climbed into the front seat of Ginta's car. "Told ya."

"Okay, once they're gone, we move. I have his keys so I can turn the alarm off," Kagome said, pulling out said keys.

"How'd you-" Sango started.

"Let's just say that Koga's family likes me."

"Way to go!" Sango squealed.

They watched Ginta's car pull out of the driveway and waited a few minutes before springing into action.

"Ayame, do you have the shaving cream?" Kagome asked as she disarmed the alarm.

Ayame held up a small cooler. "Yup, Shippo and I will remove the cans."

"Do you have gloves?"

"Check!" Shippo said, pulling out a box of medical gloves. "A few layers and we won't feel a thing."

"Good. Sango, you brought the lipstick?"

"Of course. Red, pink, silver, I think we're covered."

"And I brought the wire and the pink cling wrap. And a little something else."

Sango looked at the small foil package in Kagome's fingers. "Is that a Magnum?" she asked breathlessly.

"Sure is. Had to make sure it would fit on the tail pipe," Kagome chuckled.

"What's a Magnum?" Shippo asked.

The three girls blushed before Kagome answered, "We'll tell ya when you're older."

Kagome and Sango busied themselves with the lipstick on the windows as Ayame and Shippo carefully peeled the aluminum away from the solid chunks of shaving gel.

"Where are Kikyo and Kaede?" Shippo asked as he worked.

"They had dental appointments," Kagome answered. "They send their best wishes though."

"That's nice," Sango said as she wrote 'Koga Sucks' on the driver's side window.

Kagome climbed into the back seat and wrote, 'Kiss my ass' in pink lipstick. As she climbed out, Ayame dropped a pear scented, can shaped hunk of gel on the back seat.

"What other scent did you get?" Kagome asked.

"Raspberry. That'll go up front."

"Like this!" Shippo said as she placed a light pink, can shaped, raspberry scented hunk of foam in the passenger seat.

"Oh, how lovely!" Kagome squealed in a fake British accent. "Are we done here?"

Sango capped the red lipstick, which she'd been using to draw a chibi-Koga being run through with a spear. "Yup."

"Great! Let's get wrapping," Kagome said, tossing everyone a role of rose pink cling wrap.

Kagome shut the door with her roll stuck in it, pulling it tight. She slowly walked around the car, pulling the plastic as far as it would go without breaking. Once her roll was finished, Sango started, slowly wrapping Koga's sliver Mitsubishi Eclipse in rose pink cling wrap.

"Is that it?" Ayame asked as Sango secured the end of her roll.

"Nope," Kagome said, pulling out a spool of wire and a pair of wire cutters. "Now we do the wire and then two more rolls of cling wrap." She wrapped the wire around the car a few times before cutting it and tying it off. "Shippo, Ayame, your turn."

Shippo grinned as she began to run laps around the car, placing the wire under layer after layer of the pink cling wrap. Once his roll was finished, Ayame began her roll, putting the very last layers of plastic wrap on the car.

When she tucked in her end, Kagome unwrapped the condom and rolled it over the tailpipe, snickering as she did it.

"What a pretty package!"

Kagome spun around and found Miroku grinning at her. He was wearing a Hard Rock Café tee shirt and a pair of faded cut off jeans, an indicator as to just how hot the day was supposed to get. "God you scared me!" she muttered.

"Sorry, but I wanted to see what you dished Koga. I must admit, I'm impressed with your efforts on Inuyasha's room."

"Pretty good, eh?"

"Oh yeah, and by the way, Sesshoumaru sent this," Miroku said, pulling out the video camera. "Inuyasha's before Koga's. Something to bug them with when we're famous."

"Fantastic! We'll be hiding in those bushes when it call comes down," Kagome said, indicating to the row of shrubs that lined the driveway.

"For how long?"

"We don't know. Until they get back, I guess."

"With no provisions?"

"Nope. Kgoa's grandfather gave us a picnic basket and a cooler."

"Right on. So let's a have a picnic then. I brought board games to keep us busy."

"Do you always think of everything?" Sango asked, looking at him incredulously.

Miroku grinned. "Usually."

* * *

It was mid afternoon when Koga finally returned home. He and Hakkaku had switched seats, so he didn't see his pretty pink package. Ginta and Hakkaku exchanged a nervous glance. Once Koga saw it, he was going to explode.

"Well, we're back," Ginta said, putting his car in park and switching off the engine.

Koga opened his door, climbed out, and let out a howl. "NOOOOOOO! NOT MY CAR!"

"Whoa, tough break," Hakkaku said, shaking his head.

"You two," Koga said, turning to his friends, his tone accusing, "you knew!"

"Man, we didn't know! Whoever did this knew that we were gone," Ginta reasoned.

"Look! Pink plastic wrap, wire, and lipstick on the windows!"

"Kiss my ass," Hakkaku read aloud. "This guy has cojones."

"This isn't funny!" Koga said, pulling out his pocketknife. He began to carefully cut through the pink plastic wrap. Once the top layers were removed, Koga eyed the wire warily. "Son of a bitch," he muttered. "I need wire cutters." He sprinted to the garage, rummaged around, pulled out a pair of wire cutters, and sprinted back to his car and cut through each line of wire.

"So, how are you going to remove that last layer?" Ginta asked.

"Very carefully," Koga grumbled. It took ten whole minutes for him to cut through it, fearing the worst for his paint job. "Oh my baby!" Koga cried as he pulled the last of the pink plastic wrap away from his car and then hugging it. He quickly disarmed the alarm and opened the door, only to be covered in shaving cream.

The afternoon was warm, and the temperature of Koga's car was about ten times warmer than outside. The shaving gel had continued to expand until it exploded, covering Koga and the interior of his car in pear and raspberry shaving gel.

"She did this," Koga fumed, wiping the gel from his face.

"Who?" Hakkaku asked innocently.

"She is . . . Kagome . . ."

"You don't think she's still upset about what happened in Kyoto, do you?" Ginta asked casually.

Koga looked thunderstruck. Naturally she'd still be upset over that. Hell, if it'd happened to him, he'd still be pissed. Strengthening his resolved to keep from going to find her and throttle her, he walked up towards his house.

"Where are you going?" Hakkaku asked.

"I need to sit for a moment without having to think about cleaning up the interior of my car," Koga called, his pace quickening. Shortly thereafter he disappeared into the house and Kagome and company emerged from the bushes.

"That had to have been the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she said breathlessly.

"Indeed," Ginta said with a smirk. "But I'd avoid him for the next few days."

Kagome chuckled. "As if that's going to be a problem."

* * *

This is, by far, the longest chapter of the whole fic. Once again, I have to seriously thank E-chan and Sister Babbles for their input. E-chan, your stories from girl's camp and radio broadcast were the best inspiration a writer can ask for, and Sister Babbles, your wicked sense of humor was a humongous help. I cannot thank the both of you enough.

As always, I want to thank my readers who make this fic completely possible.

Love to my readers!

Mercy-Angel09


	10. Doulereux

Face the Music

Chapter 10 – Doulereux (Sorrowful)

Disclaimers: Don't own Inuyasha. I can't and never will.

Author's Notes: Everyone was wondering, "What's gonna happen between Kikyo and Inuyasha?" Well, this is the chapter where it's all laid out. Huzzah! Chapter 10 is now up for everyone's reading enjoyment!

* * *

The animosity crackled between the two parties, creating a tension that could be cut by a knife. On one side Inuyasha and Koga sat, a dark aura radiating from them. On the other side Kagome, Ginta, Hakkaku, and Miroku were waiting patiently for the meeting to begin.

Sesshoumaru walked in, skimming the paperwork he held in his hands as he sat down at his desk. "Well, Kagome and gentlemen," he said dryly, looking up. "This is a fine can of worms you've opened up."

"I maintain my innocence," Inuyasha stated. "I did absolutely nothing to provoke this . . . this . . ."

"Heinous retaliation," Koga finished.

Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow. "Really."

"Nothing?" Kagome sputtered. "You humiliated me in front of a crowd of strangers!"

"So you filled my room with packing peanuts?" Inuyasha retorted.

"Don't forget about running your boxers up the flag pole!" Miroku added cheerily.

"Dammit Kagome, the paparazzi was nosing around after this whole mess," Inuyasha exploded. "You could see my underwear from the street!"

"What, you don't think that I was embarrassed?" Kagome demanded. "I have never been more humiliated in my life and I don't think I ever will be again!"

"It ain't my problem," Inuyasha replied, lacing his fingers and putting his hands behind his head.

The office fell silent except for the hum of the air conditioner and the rhythmic ticking of the clock on Sesshoumaru's desk.

Miroku cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Actually Inuyasha, it is your problem."

"You're taking her side, huh?" Inuyasha muttered. "Doesn't surprise me."

"She's not evil incarnate," Ginta said slowly, "she just wants an apology."

Inuyasha opened one eye and looked at Kagome, who was flushed in frustration and had tears pooling in her eyes. He had actually made her cry. Slouching in his chair, he slowly stood up and shuffled the short distance to her. He knelt before her and tenderly brushed her bangs away from her face. "Hey there," he said softly, "don't cry. Okay, I was an ass and an utter moron and I totally deserved what you did. And I swear, I gave a full salute to Spongebob. Miroku can vouch."

Kagome blushed, now out of embarrassment over his sentimental and sincere apology. "I know," she answered quietly. "I saw the tape."

Inuyasha pursed his lips. "Yeah, the tape," he mumbled, looking over his shoulder at the grinning Sesshoumaru.

Koga, not to be outdone by Inuyasha's flowery apology walked over to Kagome on his knees. "I've been a stubborn fool Kagome, putting my own pride before your feelings. Can you ever forgive me?"

Kagome blinked. "Uh . . . sure . . ."

"What a dip," Hakkaku muttered, but Koga wasn't listening, instead he had thrown his arms around Kagome and was hugging her fiercely.

"You are wonderful!" he said.

"Okay, back off!" Inuyasha said, grabbing Koga's shoulder and pulling him from Kagome, who was now blushing furiously. "Let's just do this meeting."

"Yes, the meeting," Sesshoumaru said, leaning back in his chair. "We've been invited to the Naraku Industries Battle of the Bands. As I've agreed to let the Taji Corporation be one of the sponsors, you're going to be playing."

"So we're being pitted against the Shichinintai," Inuyasha mumbled.

"Pretty much. But you guys can whip those pretty boys," Sesshoumaru answered. "Guys that can sing are nice, but boys that can play and sing are infinitely better."

"We're so much better than some stupid kei-band," Koga smirked.

"Now that's the spirit," Sesshoumaru said firmly. "I advise that you come up with a new song. 'Endless Dream' is still a hit, reaching number two on the charts, and is believed to reach number one within the next couple of weeks. Regardless, you'll need another song, one that isn't so bouncy. Show them a softer side."

Kagome shrugged. "I've been working on some lyrics, but I need someone to help me with the melody."

"I can do that," Inuyasha volunteered. "Why don't you come over tomorrow and we'll work on it?"

"Sounds like a plan," Sesshoumaru said, smiling in satisfaction. "I'll be waiting to hear your result."

* * *

Kagome's forehead was resting against the cool wood of the piano, her eyes closed in despair. "We're never going to get this done."

Inuyasha tapped his finger on a high D. "Sure we will, but trying to find the number of BPM is just a minor road block. This is a ballad, right?"

"Yes," Kagome replied, unmoving.

"Okay, so let's see . . ." Inuyasha straightened and began to play a haunting tune. Kagome slowly drew her back straight and stared at Inuyasha.

"Start over," she commanded.

Inuyasha stopped. "What?"

"Start over. I want to try singing along," Kagome explained.

Inuyasha grinned. "Now we're going somewhere."

* * *

After figuring out the melody for their new song, the happy pair trooped into the kitchen and found Kikyo seated around the table with Eri, Yuka, Ayumi . . . and Hojo.

"Um, hi guys," Kagome said, stopping in the doorway.

"Higurashi! What are you doing here?" Hojo asked brightly. Perhaps a little too brightly.

"Working with, oof! Inuyasha, if you needed to get through, you could have asked me to move," Kagome almost yelled.

Inuyasha, who'd been standing behind her, had none to gently pushed her aside and strode into the kitchen and walked over to the fridge. He turned and winked at her. "And where's the fun in that?"

"Do you want me to tell you where the smell in your room is coming from?" Kagome demanded.

"Right, sorry about that."

"You're going to be the death of me," Kagome mumbled as she sat down at the table with her friends and cousin. "So when did you guys start hanging out?"

"When you were on tour," Kikyo answered. "We ran into each other and just started doing stuff together. Anyway, I promised to show them the Mansion, so here we are."

"Wow, we're a tourist attraction," Inuyasha said, kissing Kikyo's cheek and then sat down next to her. "Maybe we should start charging admission. It's coming out of your pay, by the way."

Kikyo punched Inuyasha in the arm, but all he did was smirk. "You're a moron," she sighed.

"You know I was half-joking."

"That also means that you were half serious."

"Aw, you know I wouldn't mean any harm by it."

"Oh shut up."

Kagome chuckled as she popped the top of her soda. "You tell him, Kiki."

"Sure think, Kag."

"So, Kagome, what are you doing here?" Ayumi said, repeating Hojo's earlier inquiry.

"I wrote some lyrics to a song, but I couldn't come up with a tune, so Inuyasha was helping me with that. We're probably going to go back down to the music room to work on it some more once we're done with our break," Kagome answered.

"That sounds exciting!" Eri said, leaning in closer to Kagome.

"I wish I had your talent for writing lyrics and poetry and all of that stuff," Yuka pouted.

"I think it sounds all very romantic," Ayumi sighed.

There was a very long and noticeable pause, and there seemed to be some sort of undercurrent between Inuyasha, Kikyo and Kagome. Ayumi pulled herself out of her reverie and smiled at her friend. "Writing songs seems like such a romantic way to make a living."

"Oh, that's what you meant," Kagome said with a nervous chuckle. She couldn't help but feel that Kikyo had glared at her when Ayumi had made her first remark. As if sitting with Inuyasha in a cold music room on an extremely uncomfortable piano bench was romantic. It was the complete and total opposite. Not to mention that Inuyasha had been very cranky earlier.

Inuyasha shifted before quickly standing up. "Break's over, Kagome. I just though of a new melody line that I want to try."

"But I like it the way it is!" Kagome protested as he grabbed her hand and yanked her from her chair.

"Rule number one in song writing, never get too attached to any one part. Chances are, that'll be the first part to go when revisions are being made," Inuyasha explained as he dragged her out of the kitchen.

"But Inuyasha!" Kagome protested.

"No buts! Now get your fat ass moving."

"What."

"Eh . . . not that you have a fat ass or nothin' . . . I, uh . . . just meant that . . ."

The rest of the conversation was cut off as the door to the basement shut behind them, but they didn't need to hear it to know that Kagome was giving Inuyasha the ass chewing of a lifetime, perhaps even ten lifetimes.

"Well, this has been a day for me. I'll walk you guys down to the street," Kikyo said as she stood up.

* * *

Kikyo waved at Eri, Yuka, Ayumi and Hojo's retreating backs. The last person she ever expected to run into was Kagome, but she wasn't sure why. Ever since her cousin had joined the Youkai Hunters, she'd been hanging around the Mansion more and more.

Shrugging it off, she walked toward the Red Dragon Café hoping some warm green tea would settle the unease in her mind. She walked in and greeted a few of the regulars, and was acutely aware of a pair of eyes watching her. She stepped up to the counter and ordered her tea, then dove into her purse, searching for her wallet.

"It's on me."

Kikyo looked up into the smiling, creepily smiling, eyes of one Onigumo Naraku. "You don't have to. I can pay for myself, thank you."

"It would honor me if you'd allow me to play."

Kikyo sighed. "Fine." Clearly the creep wasn't going to leave her alone unless he paid for her drink. "Do you come here often?" she asked, attempting to make small talk.

"I stopped by here after I dropped off my proposal at your boss' house. I thought it was rather charming, so here I am again."

Kikyo arched an eyebrow. "Really."

"Yes. Oh, your tea is done. Come, I have a table already."

Kikyo reluctantly followed Naraku to his table and sat down. "So, how did your proposition go?" she asked, trying to make polite conversation.

"Oh, the proposal went well. It's a green light. What about your revenge?"

Kikyo allowed herself a small smile. "It went well. Kagome had her revenge and things are even between them."

"Ah yes, your cousin is in the band. Does it bother you that she spends more time with your boyfriend than you do?"

The brutal, honest, ugly truth was that it did bother Kikyo, but she had always felt that the feeling was unjustified. Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship was strictly professional. Wasn't it? Kikyo hid her discomfort and smiled pleasantly. "Of course not. Their relationship is completely professional. Besides, I know Kagome and she's not the boyfriend stealing type. Those two spend more time bickering over the stupidest things than getting along."

"Yes, but sometimes when people bicker, it's their way of showing affection."

"I don't think so. She almost killed him earlier today."

Naraku nodded knowingly. "Yes, you may be right. Just remember, there's a fine line between love and hate."

Kikyo sat silently. There _was_ a fine line between love and hate. But that wasn't the case with Inuyasha and Kagome; they never got along. "Somehow I can't see it with them. All they ever do is disagree."

"Indeed, that could very well be everything between them, but you can never be too sure." Naraku smiled as he stood up, straightening his tie and jacket. "Well, I must be going. Maybe I'll see you around." He walked out of the café, a small and devilish smile playing on his lips. He'd done what he'd set out to do. The rest depended upon Kikyo's reactions to all that she'd seen.

Kikyo felt like she'd been punched in the gut. It just didn't make sense! Kagome would never steal Inuyasha . . . not consciously anyway. But she and Inuyasha had mastered the art of subconscious flirting, and they had spent a lot of time together on the tour . . .

* * *

Kagome loved the new version of the song, and she was humming the melody softly as Inuyasha transcribed it onto sheet music. She was running her fingers up and down the black and white keys of the piano, the smooth, lacquered surface delightful under her fingertips.

"Kagome?"

She looked up from the keyboard and gazed steadily at Inuyasha. "Hm?"

Inuyasha's breath caught in his throat. The totally serene look in her soft brown eyes, her hair softly framing her face, the look of total peace on her face, it was amazing. He'd never really noticed how pretty she was until that very moment, she was much prettier than Kikyo, and she shared his love of music, and . . . wait . . . didn't she chew him out an hour ago? Okay, maybe he deserved it. He knew that he shouldn't pick on her the way that he did, but he always enjoyed their little verbal battles . . . "I, um, if you don't mind, was thinking about doing two versions of the song. One would be totally ballad, very soft, slight percussion, mostly Hakkaku on the keyboard with your voice. The second would involve all of us and would be slightly edgier. What do you think?"

Kagome closed her eyes and thought for a moment. When she opened them, she smiled at him. "Whatever works. I think we could try both versions and see which one we like best. We could ask Sesshoumaru and Kikyo for their opinions."

Inuyasha smiled weakly. All Sesshoumaru cared about would be if the song would make him any money, and Kikyo always said that she liked his songs, even if she didn't. "Maybe we could find someone else. Those two won't be our harshest critics."

Kagome bit her lip. "I suppose I could ask my friends. They're usually pretty open about what they like and don't like."

Inuyasha grinned. "Cool."

Kagome went back to playing around on the keyboard of the piano as Inuyasha tried to finish transcribing them music, but he was finding it harder and harder to concentrate. Really, he and Kikyo were nothing alike, except for maybe that they had both always sort of been the outcasts of their families, there, but not really welcome. After Kikyo's parents had died a few months back, the young woman had become the sole caretaker to her little sister Kaede. Kikyo had dropped out of school to work full time, something that wasn't easy nor socially accepted. Though most people took pity on the girl, no one ever really tried to help her out with her situation, until Inuyasha's mother had heard and gave her a pay raise and then offered to pay for their apartment. While Sesshoumaru had initially been against it, he was eventually won over by the prospect of good PR. She and Inuyasha had gotten along because of their status of outcasts, but in the long run, their relationship simply wasn't meant to be. Perhaps he was supposed to be with someone else, someone who was a lot closer than he'd ever dreamed.

* * *

"Mph."

"Wakey, wakey, Kagome."

"Mmmmph."

"I know it's early, but I really need to talk to you."

"Mmmph, mmmmmppphhhh!"

"I know it's a weekend and you don't have school, but please, for my sake, meet me at the playground near the Mansion. I really have to talk to you."

"Mmmph."

"Thanks Kagome. I'll see you in an hour."

". . . AN HOUR!"

". . ."

"Agh! She already hung up! That's totally not fair!" Kagome whined as she stumbled out of bed and into the closest clothes she could find, a pair of gray sweatpants and an oversized blue sweatshirt. She tossed the phone onto the bed as she dashed out, frantically pulling her messy hair into a quick ponytail. '_What on earth could be so important that Kikyo had to wake me up at six in the morning on a Saturday anyway_?' Kagome thought as she left her house and hurried down to the street. '_And why meet at the park? Couldn't Kikyo come over or something, or was it-_'

"Higurashi!"

Startled, Kagome looked in the direction that her name had been called, and saw Hojo trotting towards her, also looking like he'd just rolled out of bed. "Hojo . . . what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was in the process of getting ready for my morning run when Kikyo called and asked me to meet her at the park by the Mansion. What about you?"

"I was asleep, dreaming of winning the battle of the bands, and she called, asking the very same thing. Do you have any idea what she could possibly want at this hour?"

Hojo shook his head. "I have no idea. I guess we'll just have to wait and find out."

When they reached the park, Kagome found that she and Hojo weren't the only ones there. Inuyasha was sitting on one of the swings, dragging his toes in the sand below him. He looked up at Kagome, his golden eyes tired yet worried. Something definitely wasn't right.

"Oh good, you're all here."

The trio turned to see Kikyo walking towards them through the morning mist, her figure shadowy and eerie. "I'm really sorry about waking you all up at this ungodly hour, but I had to."

"What's wrong Kikyo?" Kagome asked, fearing the worst. "Are you sick?"

"I'm fine, really," Kikyo reassured, smiling at her cousin. "But there is something I want to know. Kagome, Inuyasha, how would you define your relationship?"

Both Kagome and Inuyasha looked at each other for a moment before answering, "Strictly professional," in unison.

"That's what I thought," Kikyo said, digging her toe in the sand. "Because I've begun to notice things between you two, small things. A touch, a glace, little things, but they're meaningful to you, it's like in the three months you were touring, you two grew closer, or something."

"Maybe we've become better friends, but that's about it," Kagome said, knowing full well that her cousin's accusation wasn't unfounded. There were meaningful touches and glances between herself and Inuyasha, at least for her.

"No, I see you two and I see the perfect couple. Your chemistry has always bothered me. I've always seen it, there, smoldering between you like it's about to erupt into flames, and one of these days it will. That's why," Kikyo paused to take a deep breath, "I'm going to let you go Inuyasha. Because otherwise the breakup would be too painful."

"So where do I figure into this?" Hojo squeaked.

Kikyo smiled. "While I wasn't totally aware of it, I've noticed that you and I have gotten along very well, so I was hoping that you'd consider going out with me sometime. Just the two of us."

Hojo blushed. "Uh, sure, Miss Kikyo."

"Wait," Inuyasha said, jumping out of the swing. "You're dumping me for this guy? He's so boring!"

"I'm dumping you to give you and Kagome a chance," Kikyo answered, her voice cracking slightly. "I can see that you two would be very happy, if you gave yourselves that chance."

Kagome was speechless. She would never intentionally steal her cousin's boyfriend, yet somehow she had managed to. But why? But how? It just didn't make any sense! It was true that Kagome had developed feelings for Inuyasha over the months that they had been working together, but surely he didn't reciprocate them.

Kikyo had turned around by this point and was walking off with Hojo before Kagome could call her crazy. By the time she had found her voice, Kikyo and Hojo had left completely, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome alone.

Inuyasha had sat back down on the swing, swinging forward and back slowly as he could manage by keeping one foot on the ground. Kagome sat down so she could face him, sighing as she did so. "So what do you think?"

Inuyasha stared at the ground in front of him, trying to sort out his feelings. He had, in fact, fallen for Kagome, even though he knew that he shouldn't. But somehow, he became familiar with her nuances and routines. She always managed to make him feel better when he was having a bad day and she didn't even have to say anything. All she had to do was look at him, like she was looking at him now. "I think she's right," he answered quietly.

"Yeah, I think she's . . . wait, did you say that she was right?" Kagome asked. She had been sure that he would have called her crazy or something like that.

"There is something between us, Kagome. We just need to find out what. Now I don't know about you, but I'm going back to bed." He stopped and stood up, not making eye contact with her, knowing full well that if he did, he might do something that he would regret or worse, enjoy.

Kagome was left alone on the swing, shrouded in the morning mist, her thoughts swirling like a whirlwind in her head.

* * *

I know, I know, it's kinda lame. But I kept thinking, with Kagome spending so much time hanging out with Inuyasha, who is Kikyo hanging out with? I figured with Kagome gone, Kikyo would be invited to spend time with Eri, Yuki, Ayumi, and Hojo. I'm guessing that they became friends, and with Naraku whispering things into her ear, she decided to take action.

I hope the cheese factor wasn't too much to handle.

As always, leave a review.

Mercy-Angel-09


	11. Gemendo

Face the Music

Chapter 11 – Gemendo (Lamenting)

Disclaimers: Don't own Inuyasha, yadda, yadda, yadda . . .

Author's Notes – So someone asked what the last chapter was about. Plain and simple, the whole point of the last chapter was to break up Inuyasha and Kikyo and hook up Inuyasha and Kagome. Yup, basically eight pages on a break up. So now for some little notes to the readers.

AnimePunk13 – Honor comes in all sorts of ways. If anything, I truly believe that Kikyo before she died would have done anything to make Inuyasha happy, including leaving him. She has a very deep sense of honor and respect (probably because she is a shrine maiden), but after her death it didn't matter anymore, hence her ruthlessness. But mostly I'm just happy someone said it wasn't lame!

Meggerz – And I thought I was the only one who went by that moniker! Anyway, I like to believe that Inuyasha and Kagome's relationship goes beyond physical attraction, and that they can love each other without snogging all of the time. That doesn't mean that they won't kiss as some point . . .

Lea – I do not write slow. I actually write fairly quickly, granted I have the time to do it. I just update slow. You people were spoiled with me updating everyday there for a while. As I said in the beginning of the fic, I had a good chunk of it already written. It was just a matter of getting it posted.

SilverYuki06 – Of all of the anime surprises in the world, I don't think Kikyo and Hojo hooking up was one of them. I admit, for a while you're sitting there thinking, "Is this really going to work?" But then you realize that they work out just fine for one another, as one would assume that Kikyo is polite and Hojo can't be anything but polite, so they have to be together. But the biggest anime surprise I ever got was **huge Fruits Basket spoiler**. That one just about killed me. But when I thought about it, it made total sense.

Anyway peoples, on with the fic. I'm sure you're all wondering why I haven't updated in like, a week, and the answer was that I wanted you guys to wait a little.

* * *

Naraku stormed into his office the next morning, startling Kagura who was just about to sit down at her desk with her first cup of coffee. Careful not to spill any on her pristine white blouse, Kagura sat down irritably waiting for her summons. Clearly Naraku had received the memo that Goshinki had left about Kikyo's little decision, which the trio had known would piss him off. That hadn't been part of the plan.

"Kagura, get in here now," was the harsh order she received.

Kagura sighed as she stood up, setting her coffee to the side. "Sheesh, the guy goes through all of this trouble to break up Inuyasha and Kikyo, and when it finally works, he gets his panties in a twist." She pushed open the heavy door and confronted her boss. "What can I do for you?"

"Find out about this little Hojo worm."

"I already did," Kagura said, pulling out her palm pilot and pulling up the information she had collected the night before. "He's a descendant of the Hojo samurai clan, his mother runs a natural remedies shop, and in all he's a real spineless peon. I don't know why she chose him exactly, but we'll get to the bottom of it."

"I break her up only to have her pick someone other than me!" Naraku muttered. "Honestly, I'm rich, good looking, and powerful, isn't that what women want?"

Kagura started. What she wanted was a man who would be happy to see her when she got home from work, someone who was the complete antithesis of her employer. She didn't blame Kikyo for choosing Hojo. At least Hojo was kind and a gentleman, unlike her boss. He held open doors, always used honorifics, and was actually quite charming. Both she and Kanna agreed, Kikyo had made the right decision.

"Well anyway, what does it matter? At least she's not with that Inuyasha idiot. I'll have my boys smash him on the stage anyway. Speaking of my boys," Naraku stared hard at Kagura, "where are they?"

"At the studio, rehearsing just like you want them to be."

"Good. Let them know that I'm coming in for an inspection. I want to hear how things are coming with their numbers."

"Yes sir."

"And Kagura?"

"Yes sir?"

"I always get what I want. Just keep that in mind."

Kagura felt sick to her stomach as she left Naraku's office. That man was just plain weird. He had stalker like tendencies but he would never actually act on them, which was why he had a clean record. He could always find someone else to do his dirty work. More often than not, Kagura had pulled some devious plot together at her master's whim, and more often than not, she was disgusted with herself because she was being controlled. She looked out her window and watched the clouds moving in the rapid wind. "I am the wind," she said softly to herself. "One day, I will be free."

* * *

After the Youkai Hunters, the Shichinintai were the biggest music phenomena to hit the country. Their pop sound made them popular with all of the girls, which was the point. They were meant to be an idol group, they had the pretty faces.

Kyoukotsu was the oldest and the largest member of the group. He could rap, but he was usually content to hang out in the background and play bodyguard to the smaller members of the group.

Mukotsu was nothing to look at, but his genius with making smoke effects made him known anyway. And while he didn't have fangirls, he was just as content to hang back. That many screaming girls at one time made him nervous, though he wouldn't mind one or two.

Suikotsu was the older brother of the group, but he did have a temper. He was usually very kind and gentle, ready to take care of anyone who required assistance, but when he was mad enough, a single look could seemingly kill.

Ginkotsu had been in a car accident when he was young, thus the cyborg-like appearance, but he was a technical whiz, important to making sure that all of their equipment was running top of the line.

Jakotsu was gay, simple as that, but the girls loved him anyway. Pretty to a fault, he had been a model before he started his singing career. He was well known and loved, with droves of fangirls (and consequently, some fanboys).

Renkotsu was the smart one, always business, but he could be the idol as well. Though he really didn't have the pretty boy looks of Jakotsu or Suikotsu, he had the brain to keep their shows running smoothly and enough talent to choreograph all of their dance routines.

Bankotsu may not have had the pretty face of Jakotsu or the brains of Renkotsu, but he was charming and charismatic, making him the leader of the group. His distinctive black braid that went all the way down to his rear made him very popular with the girls, and he reveled in the attention they showered him with. He didn't become a singer to sing. He became a singer to revel in the limelight. Oh yes, indeed, fame was a beautiful thing.

He'd been a little ticked when Naraku had called him in the middle of the night to arrange a rehearsal for the battle of the bands for the very next morning, but as usual, the laid back leader of the Shichinintai rolled with the punches and had assembled everyone for the rehearsal. The group hardly ever wrote their own music or lyrics, though every so often they'd come up with something original to throw in. Today was one of the rare days when they were working on an original piece.

"So what does that Naraku want?" Jaktosu drawled as he leaned on the table, ready to fall asleep.

Bankotsu smirked. "What else does he want? He wants us to smash the Youkai Hunters in the Battle of the Bands. Shouldn't be a problem, if you ask me."

Ginkotsu chuckled. "Those sissy boys are toast."

"I don't know," Renkotsu said, looking up from a magazine. "They're listed here as being very popular with the grunge and punk scene, which are the groups we don't have access to simply because of what we are. That's a two to one advantage in their favor. We do have a large following, but they have a larger appeal."

"I'm not going grunge or punk!" Jakotsu shrieked, sitting up. He was wide-awake now, early morning wake up call be damned. "There's no way that I'm not washing my hair! And their couture, no freakin' way!"

"Calm down," Suikotsu snapped. "We won't have to resort to that. While Renkotsu is right, we won't be able to gain the appeal of the punk or grunge crowds, we can boost our popularity with the pop crowd. It'll just take a little old fashioned-"

"Sex appeal," Bankotsu finished. "Women make up a pretty big part our fan base. If we're sexually appealing, we could win over some of the female grunge and punk scene. Most normal women can't turn down a pretty face."

Jakotsu relaxed. "That I can do."

"Yeah, but you're gay so there's no guarantee that you'll be the most attractive one. You'll be cute, but not drawing them in by the bus loads," Mukotsu quipped from one of his smoke barrels.

"Oh shut up. Gay guys are very popular with women, you know," Jakotsu replied tartly.

"Yeah, if you're on _Queer Eye for the Straight Guy_," snorted Kyoukotsu.

The other members of the band laughed as Jakotsu's face flushed in anger. "Oh sure, laugh it up, but everyone knows I'm the most popular."

The laughter died as they stared at him. "And how do you know that?" Ginkotsu demanded.

"Because I read it in Idol Weekly," Jakotsu said, pulling out said magazine and flipping it to the polls page. "See, right there. 'Which member of the Shichinintai is your favorite?' It says right there that I am."

Bankotsu snatched the magazine from Jakotsu and choked on his own saliva. "I don't believe this! The fairy is at the top of the list! How come I ended up as number two?"

This of course, lead to an argument of who really was the most popular, that statistics can lie, and that ultimately gay guys had the most fan girls compared to straight guys. This was how Kagura found them.

"I swear! Do you want to beat the Youkai Hunters or are you going to hand them contest on a silver platter?" she fumed, hands on hips and her toe tapping angrily.

The argument ceased as they looked sheepishly at her. "Eh, hi," Bankotsu said, trying to sound as if he and the others hadn't been embroiled in an argument only a few seconds before. "What can we do for ya?"

"I thought that I should give you fair warning that Naraku is coming over here personally to check on your progress," Kagura sniffed, "but if you really don't care, that's fine with me. I'm not the one he's going to toss out in the street. Pity, you had a flourishing career in front of you, too."

The band straightened up as Bankotsu tossed his braid behind him. "We'll be ready for the boss when he gets here, and you can tell him that."

Kagura shrugged. "Maybe I will, maybe I won't."

"Then why'd you even come?" Suikotsu asked.

"I thought that I'd be nice for a change and tell you that your antics could get you fired. At this point in time, you're better off knowing exactly what the boss is up to since you never know when he'll change his mind," Kagura answered as she turned to leave. "And by the way, he's in a really bad mood."

Bankotsu cursed softly under his breath as Kagura left. When Naraku was in a bad mood, he wanted things done on time. By nature the Shichinintai worked well with their deadlines, but the deadlines that Naraku gave tended to stifle the creative process. It looked like they would have to take another song from the writer's pool.

"Hey Bankotsu?" Jaktosu queried. "Is that good or bad?"

"Really bad," Bankotsu muttered. "Do we have something that someone's already written for us lying around?"

Renkotsu, businesslike to the teeth, pulled out a tape and some sheet music. "Here, it's called 'If you want me to, I'll'."

"That's a really lame title," Jaktosu mumbled as he was handed the music.

"Yeah, well we didn't write it so we don't get a choice," Renkotsu answered irritably. "The one thing that the Youkai Hunters have on us is that they write all of their own music and lyrics."

"So does that mean that they're better than us?" Jakotsu asked.

"Not really," Suikotsu answered. "So they write their own garbage, whoop-de-doo. Our sound is tailored to meet our fans desires, and that's all that counts."

"So we're stuck doing this poppy love song that makes my teeth rot as I read it?" Ginkotsu asked.

"Yup," Bankotsu answered lamely. "Well, let's get down to rehearsals boys. We want to at least fake that we've been working on this for a month."

* * *

Naraku walked into the booth as the group put on their headphones to record the song that they had been diligently practicing for the last hour and a half. Glancing down at the producers, he nodded for the session to start, and the voices of the Shichinintai blended into sweet harmonies.

You say that you want  
The time of your life  
But fate just keeps  
Selling you short  
And finally when you  
Get that chance  
It's snatched away  
In the blink of an eye

But what would you do  
If could have one more try?  
Would you take the opportunity  
Or would you run and hide?

If you want me to, I'll  
Give you one more chance  
If you want me to, I'll  
Become a master of fate  
If you want me to

So what did you do  
When life gave you lemons?  
Did you make lemonade  
Or did it make you pucker?  
Let me show you how to have  
A sweet time no matter what  
Because you deserve so much  
More than what you've got

But what would you do  
If you could have one more try?  
Would you take the opportunity  
Or would you run and hide?

If you want me to, I'll  
Give you one more chance  
If you want me to, I'll  
Become a master of fate  
If you want me to

If you want me to, I'll  
Make everything possible  
If you want me to, I'll  
Give you all of your dreams  
If you want me to  
If you want me to  
If you want me to

When the recording finished and the light switched off in the booth, the guys waited eagerly for the play back. After listening to the first minute of the song, they decided that Suikotsu was flat and went back to record it again.

Naraku continued to watch and listen to his boys, before making his exit ten minutes later, contemplating what he'd seen.

They had ditched their original song for a pre-fabricated one. They were all a little flat. They all were a little flat and off key from each other, which meant that they weren't harmonizing well. What in the name of all that was good in the world was wrong with them! He had hand selected them himself, making sure that he was getting the best of the best! It had been a fluke that they already all knew each other, which hadn't hurt his little recipe for instant success at all.

He almost felt betrayed by them, when he remembered that they had no love for the Youkai Hunters and wanted to see them go down as well. At least he knew that the rivalry they felt with the Taji Record Company's golden band was enough to keep them working hard for him. Besides, after the Shichinintai crushed the Youkai Hunters, he would reward them well for a job well done . . .

* * *

The lyrics for "If you want me to, I'll" were, in fact, written by me. It's supposed to sound prefab and totally lame, and something you'd hear on a manufactured boy band album. Anyway, I felt that The Band of Seven worked for the rival band (pun not intended, really) and for those who haven't met them yet (I'm pretty sure the Adult Swim hasn't gotten to those episodes yet, though they are getting closer), they were group of seven mercenaries that were killed about the same time Inuyasha was sealed. Now that they've been resurrected (one guess as to who did it) they're wreaking all kinds of havoc for our heroes.

Now that we've met the competition, our ragtag gang might actually have to work to beat them. After all, there's nothing Naraku hates more than to lose.

As always, leave a review!

Mercy-Angel-09


	12. Affetuoso

Face the Music

Chapter 12 – Affetuoso (Affectionate)

Disclaimers: Do not own Inuyasha. And the sad truth is that I never will.

Author's Notes: Okay, I know, several of you were disappointed with the last chapter. But frankly even villains need a little time in the limelight. Besides, I think it helps the storyline if we understand Naraku a little better.

But this is what all of you have been waiting for! Wait, I already did the naked Sesshoumaru . . . never mind. Okay, really, there's a scene in here that is exactly what everyone has been bugging me for. Enjoy.

* * *

Kagome collapsed on her bed, exhausted by that afternoon's rehearsals. She and Inuyasha had only addressed each other when they had to, the rest of the time they ignored each other. Their band mates found it odd, but didn't ask questions. It was obvious that they didn't want to talk about it. 

Kagome started to fall asleep, but a soft knock startled her awake. "Mmphhh . . ." she moaned.

"Kagome dear?"

Rolling over, she lifted her head off her pillow to watch her mother enter her room. "What's going on?"

"I just want to see if you're okay. You've been out of it for the last couple of days. What happened to you?"

Kagome's head fell back on her pillow. "Mom, when did you know that you had fallen in love with dad?"

Mrs. Higurashi chuckled. "Every time I saw him I got this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach and my heart beat crazily."

"Oh."

"Do you get these feelings?"

"Er . . ."

"I see. Koga?"

"Ew! No!"

"Ah. Inuyasha."

Kagome answered with a stony silence and faced her wall.

"How does Kikyo feel about that?"

"She's fine with it. She broke up with Inuyasha to give us a chance. Plus she's dating Hojo now."

"Oh. Hojo. He seems very laid back compared to Inuyasha."

This caused Kagome to giggle. "Yeah, that's what I thought."

"So, do you like Inuyasha?"

"Sure I like him. He's easy to talk to and fun to hang out with."

"Ah, okay. I guess my question should be do you love Inuyasha?"

Kagome's cheeks flushed pink. "I . . . uh . . . er . . ."

"I'll take your answer for a yes."

"Mama!"

"What? You do like him, don't you?"

"Well, yeah, I like him, but I don't-"

"Like 'like' him?"

Kagome rolled her eyes. "Oh please Mom."

"Fight it all you want, dear, but once you fess up to how you feel, you'll feel much better." With that last little tidbit of information, she got up and left her daughter to think about how she felt.

* * *

Inuyasha had been in a bad mood all afternoon. Watching Kagome had been frustrating for him. Every other minute he had to resist the urge to reach out, touch her face, caress her hand, kiss her lips . . . wait, did he just think, "kiss her lips?" Did he even want to kiss her? That would have meant that he was in love with her, right? 

Oh to kiss her would have been divine.

And where the hell had that thought come from?

"Yo, Inuyasha."

Inuyasha pulled himself out of his little trance and looked at Miroku, who was starting at his best friend intently. "Something wrong? You've been kind of strange for the last couple of days. What happened?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"You. Are. My. Best. Friend. Something's wrong, I can tell."

"Well, Kikyo broke up with me."

"I would definitely think that qualifies as something, but that's not all. What else?"

"There's nothing else."

"Oh yes, I forgot. You've been in denial about your feelings for Kagome for months now."

"I am not!"

"Ah ha! Quick to deny the denial! You're totally hung up on her!"

Inuyasha snorted. "So what if I do like her? What then?"

"Then let her know. Tell her that you really like her and see where it goes from there."

Inuyasha, who'd been sitting on an amp, shifted. "So I let her know? How do I tell her?"

Miroku shrugged. "Write her a song, poem, letter . . . something! Or, you could do a physical demo."

"A . . .physical . . . demo?"

"Yeah! Just kiss her!"

"Oh no! No freakin' way in hell!"

"I know you want to."

"Ah no, I don't."

"Denial again."

"So if I do kiss her and she hates me? What then?"

"Well then you know for sure and you don't have to worry about it. So call the Kagaster and ask her out."

Inuyasha looked thoughtful for a moment before pulling out his cell phone and dialing Kagome's phone number. "Uh . . .hi Kagome . . . Oh not much . . . uh-huh . . . Well I wanted to talk to you about the – song . . . So do you want to go grab a burger or something . . . Really? That's great! Meet ya at WacDonald's in an hour. See ya." He hung up the phone and smiled at Miroku. "How was that?"

Miroku rolled his eyes. "First, call her back and tell her that you can't do it right way. Tell her that you'll pick her up in a couple of days. And when you finally do go, don't screw it up by saying something stupid."

Kagome tapped her toe nervously. It was a mistake. She wasn't going out with Inuyasha tonight, no way.

She had been trying to sleep when he had called two days ago. In a haze she'd accepted his invitation, now she was regretting it. She had fully planned on avoiding him when possible, but that plan was quickly going down the drain.

* * *

Kagome was currently waiting on the street of Inuyasha to pick her up. He was ten minutes late and she knew that it would probably be another twenty minutes or so before he finally would show up. 

A car horn honked, startling Kagome and pulling her back to reality. Looking down the street, she saw Inuyasha driving a 1967 Corvette convertible. He was dressed in a simple black tee shirt with a pair of faded blue jeans, his silver blue hair pulled back at the nape of his neck. Becoming self-conscious of her outfit, an emerald green camisole with a matching over shirt and a white denim skirt, she opened the door and slid into the car.

"You look great," Inuyasha said, glancing sideways at her as she pulled away from the curb.

"You look good too," she squeaked.

"Listen Kagome, I know this is weird," Inuyasha said, flicking off the radio, "but if we don't work this out, things are going to be weird for the whole band."

Kagome remained silent. Inuyasha was right. If they didn't figure out how they were feeling soon, the whole band could be affected.

"Now I know Kikyo threw us for a loop by giving us a chance, but what good has it done? Nothing."

"Because we're scared?"

Inuyasha pursed his lips. "Yeah, we're scared. But you know what, I refuse to be scared anymore."

"Wait as second . . . so that's why we're going out on a date - because you don't feel brave enough to face your ex-girlfriend unless we're officially together?"

At this point they had reached the shopping complex where the restaurant that Inuyasha had picked was located. He had parked the car, but they weren't moving. In fact Kagome was sitting perfectly still, giving him an icy stare.

"That's a bullshit statement Kagome, and you know it."

"Oh really?"

"Kagome, you've been avoiding Kikyo as much as I have, so back off. Let's face it, there's something between us that we've been trying to ignore. The fact is we can't ignore it anymore."

He opened his door and quickly exited the vehicle. He walked around the back of the car to open Kagome's door, and offered her a hand as she stepped out. Thoughts were swirling around her head as they walked to the restaurant, but she didn't speak until they had nearly reached the place. Timidly she asked, "Well, why not?"

"Because it's been on my mind since Kikyo left me. Come on, let's get dinner."

The restaurant that Inuyasha had chosen was themed, a Rainforest Café. The pleasant atmosphere did little to calm the tension between the couple though.

"Inuyasha?"

"Yeah?"

"D-do you like me?"

Inuyasha blinked. "Well, yeah, I like you."

"That's not what I meant."

Sighing, Inuyasha folded his hands on the table. "Let my put it this way, I can hardly remember life before you. You've changed me."

"But that still doesn't answer my question."

Rubbing his temples, Inuyasha sighed, trying to adhere to Miroku's advice of not saying anything stupid. "Maybe I can't answer that question yet."

Kagome bit her lip and blinked back tears. This whole situation was confusing and it was starting to more than she could handle at that particular moment. The meal passed slowly, the conversation revolving around the band, the food, and the upcoming battle of the bands.

"Yeah, sure the Shichinintai are popular, but they're a fabricated band. They're not really in it for the music," Kagome stated, swirling a French fry in ketchup.

"So you're saying that we'll kick their asses based on the fact that we're the real deal and the fans will know it?"

"Yup. Now it's not like the Shichinintai don't have a fan following. They're a bubble-gun band. They have droves of fan girls, but probably not at the show."

"Yeah, can't say that the battle will be fan girl friendly."

"Oh I don't know. There are bound to be some fan girls. Just not the psycho ones who dissolve into tears every time their favorite person appears on stage."

"Thank God we don't have to deal with that."

"No kidding."

There was a pause, where Inuyasha and Kagome only stared at each other. Kagome tried a timid smile, but it quickly faded under Inuyasha's intense gaze. "Um, is there something wrong?" she asked.

He smirked. "Of course not."

"There must be. Why else would you be smirking at me?"

"Because there's something about you. I can't quite put my fingers on it, but I do know there's something about you."

Blushing, Kagome averted her eyes to her plate. She mumbled under breath along the lines of "You're such a pain," and then she shut up.

"So, Kagome . . ."

". . ."

"Come on Kagome, you can't stay mad at me forever."

"Watch me," she answered.

Reaching across the table, Inuyasha gently laid his fingers across Kagome's and slowly caressed them. "Kagome, I think you're the coolest girl I've ever met. You are your own person and I totally respect you for that. Kagome, I like you just the way you are and hope that you always stay the way you are now."

Kagome withdrew her hand from Inuyasha's. "Inuyasha, that's not possible. People always change. Since we started the band, I've changed."

"Yeah, okay, people change . . ."

"Yes, but people change constantly. The daily experience of life is constantly shaping and changing people." Sliding her chair back, Kagome rose and left Inuyasha at the table.

Dropping the tab and tip on the table, Inuyasha didn't waste any time in running after her. "Miroku, you'd better be right about this," he mumbled under his breath. "Kagome, Kagome!" he called after her willing her stop. Running, he caught up to her and grabbed her shoulder. "Dammit girl! Stop when I'm talking to you!"

Disgusted, Kagome pulled away, wrenching her arm from his grasp. "Excuse me!"

Rolling his eyes, Inuyasha put one arm around her shoulders and the other around her waist. Pulling her close, he closed the distance between their lips. At first, taken by surprise, Kagome blinked rapidly. Then she closed her eyes and began to enjoy it. It wasn't an urgent kiss like Koga's had been, but rather slow and enjoyable.

Pulling away, Inuyasha smiled at her. "Kagome, we have something between us. We can't fight it anymore."

Kagome couldn't answer. She didn't want to fight her feelings anymore, but her head was too rational and wanted to resist. "No, you were my cousin's boyfriend first. This is just too strange." Kagome pulled herself from his strong embrace.

"Oh, Higurashi!"

Turning sharply, Kagome found herself face to face with Hojo and Kikyo. Hand and hand the couple was advancing toward herself and Inuyasha. "Hojo, Kikyo . . . hello . . ."

"Enjoying yourselves?" Hojo asked, completely oblivious to the rise in tension. Clearly Kikyo was just as uncomfortable as Inuyasha and Kagome were.

"Well, we were having lunch and discussing band things," Kagome answered. It wasn't a full out lie, and it was just enough information to keep them from prying.

"That's nice. I'm sure you're excited about the battle of the bands!" Hojo said.

"They'd better be. They're the favorites," a deep voice said from behind them. What little color in Kikyo's cheeks drained as her eyes widened. Inuyasha scowled, crossing his arms against his chest.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Naraku shrugged. "I saw the one of the participants in my battle of the bands and felt that I was justified in asking how they were doing. You are ready for the competition, aren't you?"

"Of course," Kagome answered, her chin lifted in defiance.

"Good, good. I look forward to your performance. I bet you'll knock them dead," he said, turning and giving a dismissive wave.

"I really hate that asshole," Inuyasha muttered.

"Um, Kiki, are you okay?" Kagome asked, gently placing her hand on her cousin's shoulder.

"It's . . . well, I think he's been following me," Kikyo admitted quietly. "He gives me the creeps. I keep meeting him at the Red Dragon Café."

"Then stop going there. It won't kill you to hit Tully's or Starbucks," Kagome soothed.

"I know. Listen, you two, I know this is awkward as hell, but please, don't avoid each other on my account. Hojo and I are happy, really."

"Kikyo . . ." Inuyasha murmured.

Taking a deep breath, she gave a small smile. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

She walked away quickly, leaving Hojo, Kagome and Inuyasha standing together. "Really, we are quite happy. We share many interests and I think that it's for the best," Hojo said. "I know it's strange for everyone involved, but I think we should give it a chance. For all our sakes."

Kagome nodded as he headed off to wait for Kikyo. "Inuyasha . . ."

"I know, and you're right. Come on Kagome, we should call the guys and get them into the studio to work on you song."

* * *

Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku sat on the floor of the studio, waiting for Kagome and Inuyasha to show. Miroku sat at his drum set, tapping out simple rhythms and then trying more complicated variations. 

"What's taking so damn long!" Koga growled, growing tired of waiting.

"Hey, they're probably running off copies of the sheet music," Miroku answered. "I was listening to them run through it the other day and it sounded pretty good. There are two versions. One is all piano, and the other includes all of us."

"Great, so what do the rest of us do while Hakkaku gets all of the attention?"

"Backup vocals?" Miroku suggested.

"Right, fine."

Seconds later, Kagome and Inuyasha burst in, arms laden with sheet music. "Okay guys, Kagome wrote the lyrics, I wrote the music. And this second one, well that was all me."

"_My Immortal_ and _Your Song_?" Miroku asked.

"We're giving our selves options with ballads, okay?" Inuyasha snapped. "We have to keep options open. If we don't, we could actually lose this thing. I say we gather every one we know and ask them what they think once we get the songs up to snuff."

"Well _My Immortal_ is all Hakkaku," Koga muttered, looking over the music.

"There are two versions," Inuyasha said tensely. "One is all Hakkaku and Kagome, and the other is a little edgier and involves all of us."

"Right, why don't we play through the song a few times before Kagome starts singing along," Hakkaku suggested. "The melody seems pretty straight forward."

As he sat at the piano, Sesshoumaru burst in, a manila envelope in hand and speaking furiously into his cell phone.

"Yes, I did get the package," he said into it. Sighing, he answered back to an unheard comment. "They're a punk band. I honestly don't know if they know the song or not." Another pause before Sesshoumaru's voice dropped to a deadly serious low. "Well I'll give it to them to work on. Thank you for your call." He hung up before brushing his bangs out of his face and attempting to regain his composure. "Hello there."

"What happened?" Kagome asked.

"That . . . idiot," Sesshoumaru said, stressing the word idiot heavily, "wants there to be a cover competition, along with the original material."

"So I'm guessing what we're covering is in that envelope," Inuyasha said dryly.

"Exactly. It's a copy of Anne Orson and Carte Blanche's _Don't Go Breaking My Heart_."

"What! We're doing an Elton John song!" Koga asked, his eyes wide.

"Naraku felt it was appropriate for a band with a female lead."

"So basically it's a duet for myself and Kagome," Inuyasha said, taking the envelope from his brother and sliding the music out.

"Basically, that's the long and the short of it," Sesshoumaru sighed. "I don't know what his ploy is, but you can handle it, right?"

"Right," the band answered, unsure of whether or not they could do an old Elton John song from the seventies.

"Please, just give it a chance," Sesshoumaru implored. "Otherwise it could get really ugly for all of us."

Feeling that he'd said his peace, he left the band with three new sets of sheet music. Miroku looked over it and shrugged. "We could try to make it a little bit more punk, but I'm not sure how well that would go."

"I find that it's kinda hard to mess with classics," Inuyasha muttered. "Sometimes it works, but sometimes it's a total bust. We need to think this through."

"I see the self preservation instinct is kicking in," Ginta cracked.

Miroku rolled his eyes. "I say we start with the original stuff. The thing about covers is that we're generally familiar with the melody which makes playing them a little easier."

"Right, read through the music for a few minutes. When we're ready, we'll play through them."

Kagome looked at Inuyasha, hoping to read his face. Inuyasha merely shrugged at her as he picked up his guitar and started strumming random chords.

"So, Inuyasha, are you ever going to get a new guitar?" Hakkaku asked as he played over the keys of the piano.

"Someday, if I can ever convince my brother the tight wad that it's a good idea," Inuyasha answered.

"Inuyasha, honey, are you down there?"

The boys snickered as Kagome let Izayoi into the studio. "Hello there boys. Hello Kagome."

"Hi Izayoi."

"You're on a first name basis with my mother?" Inuyasha asked his eyes wide.

"Yeah. So?" Kagome said with a shrug.

"I brought down some cookies," Izayoi said, placing a plate with warm chocolate chip cookies on a table. "You all have been working so hard, I think it's time you had a little treat."

"Please, Mother, don't treat us like we're ten," Inuyasha groaned.

"Who cares! The cookies are great, Mrs. Taji," Koga said, grabbing a couple.

"Hey, here's an interesting piece of discography," Miroku piped from his seat at the computer. "Apparently Sir Elton did _Don't Go Breakin' My Heart_ with RuPaul in 1993."

"So we could possibly update it," Ginta said. "Let me play with the file on the mixer for a while and I'll let you know what I come up with."

"Fine, whatever," Inuyasha mumbled.

"Well don't let me keep you from anything," Izayoi said with a pleasant smile. She turned around and left the studio, leaving the cookies on the table. After she was gone, the other guys smirked at Inuyasha.

"Inuyasha is Momma's little boy!" Koga smirked.

"I am not. She's just my mom, and she made cookies. Is that such a big deal?" Inuyasha asked.

"No, not a problem," Miroku answered, his lips twitching. "Let's just do this, okay?"

"Right, let's play through _My Immortal_, okay?" Inuyasha said, looking at Hakkaku.

"Uh, right!" Hakkaku began playing slowly, unsure of the tempo. "Um, is this okay?"

"That's fine. It's a ballad, so it's supposed to be slower," Kagome said, looking at the music.

Hakkaku played through the whole song, and as he finshed the rest of the band sat in silence. "So, what happens when Kagome actually sings along?" Miroku asked quietly.

"Goosebumps," Inuyasha replied. "Come on, let's do this."

Kagome began to sing in a pure voice, causing the other band members to look amongst each other in surprise. They all knew that Kagome was an excellent vocalist, but they clearly hadn't anticipated how well she would do with original material. With the exception of Inuyasha, the band had to take extra care to make sure they kept playing instead of stopping to simply enjoy listening to Kagome's voice work magic.

When Kagome's voice faded, the rest of the band that had been listening to her sat in a stunned silence. "So, how was it?" she asked quietly.

"If you sing like that at the competition, we're going to win for sure," Miroku answered, leaning back in the computer chair.

* * *

Are we happy now? We had Kagome and Inuyasha mackin' on each other, in a mall no less. **Sigh** I knew I'd have to do it eventually. But what the hey, it was kinda sweet and all. Anyway, I don't have any more pre-fab chapters, which means that you guys are gonna have to be patient for me to actually write. School is starting to take up my time which means that I'll get around to working on it when I can. Hopefully it won't a be a year between updates. 

Well, leave a review.

MercyAngel09


	13. Eclatante

Face the Music

Chapter 13: _Eclatante_ (Brilliant, Sparkling)

Disclaimers: I do not own Inuyasha and company.

Author's Notes: I am so, so, sorry about the lack of updates. But there is one thing I'd like my readers to remember and that is: I am a student and that is my top priority. Last semester about did me in (I spent several days sick due to stress), so I would appreciate it if you guys don't harass me about updates and whatnot. I'll write when I can and consequently update when I can. The first indication that I have no plans on finishing a story is if I remove it. Otherwise assume that I'll update when I can.

I appreciate all of your support. Really, you guys are great. I enjoy reading your comments and love to hear from you. A few of you even went so far as to send me private messages to ask about the status of the story. I believe I replied back to those of you who did. Just stick with me guys, we'll get to the end, I promise!

* * *

"Once more, from the top!" Inuyasha called, looking over his shoulder at Miroku. 

"Right, everyone, from the top!" Miroku said, counting off.

The band performed _Don't Go Breakin' My Heart, _hoping that they didn't sound as stupid as they thought they did. Nothing sucked more than trying to make a classic soft-rock hit of the late seventies and early eighties sound cool with a punk rock edge. However, the managed to get to the end of the song without a hitch, and then turned to Sesshoumaru for a critique.

"All right, you two sound great. Your harmonies are perfect," Sesshoumaru said, sitting back in the computer chair that he'd parked in front of the band. Rin sat at his feet as Jaken prepared coffee.

"I liked it. I can dance to it!" Rin said, jumping up.

"Yes, that aside," Sesshoumaru said, "I want to hear Kagome's song."

Inuyasha nodded and Hakkaku started. Kagome sang as if no one was listening, pouring her heart into it. Sesshoumaru nodded and took notes, Rin standing at his side, her brown eyes open in wonder as she watched Kagome.

When Kagome's voice faded at the end of the song, Sesshoumaru sat still, his cool amber gaze fixed on her. "Well," he said after a long pause, "that was good."

"Just good?" Inuyasha burst. "She's fantastic!"

"Yes, well, you, on the other hand, need some help."

"And how is that!" Inuyasha fumed. "You're such a tightwad that you won't let me get a new guitar."

Sesshoumaru cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so?" Pulling out his cell phone, he pressed the walkie-talkie function. "Bring it in."

The door to the studio opened and a bald old man with a moustache and goatee walked in. His slightly pointing ears gave him an elfish appearance. "Here you go," he said, placing what Kagome assumed to be a guitar case in front of Inuyasha.

"What's that?" Inuyasha asked, studying the case intently.

"That is your father's last wish," the old man replied.

"Thank you, Toutousai," Sesshoumaru said with a nod. "I trust payment has already been taken care of?"

"Yeah, the thing's paid for," Toutousai answered. "And I have yours as well."

Sesshoumaru gave a curt nod, ignoring Toutousai's last comment. "Thank you. Inuyasha, as I said before, this is Father's last wish. He wanted you to have a new guitar, and here it is. A masterpiece created by Toutousai himself, the Tetsusaiga."

Inuyasha opened the case and saw the most beautiful silver guitar he'd ever seen in his life. Six strings of pure musical heaven on the most beautiful silver body with a mahogany neck. It was perfection.

"Wow," he breathed, picking up and strumming a few of the strings. "And it's even in tune."

"Damn straight it's in tune," Toutousai answered. "Made sure of it myself. Just don't abuse her, and she'll be real good to you."

Inuyasha hooked up the guitar and started to play. "This is amazing! The tone is perfect!"

Toutousai shrugged. "Of course it is. Your father had one just like it when he was younger."

Inuyasha's fingers stopped as he looked squarely at the old man. "Say what? Are you saying that my old man played the guitar?"

"Your father was talented, that's for sure. He played the guitar, piano, the violin . . . which reminds me. I have something for you," the old man said, looking at Sesshoumaru.

"Beg your pardon? I only asked about this last gift."

"Hold on." Toutousai left, leaving Sesshoumaru puzzling in silence. He came back in a few moments later holding what looked to be a violin case.

"What is that?" Sesshoumaru asked, eying the case nervously.

"Your father wanted you to have that. Said you took lessons when you were younger."

Sesshoumaru took the case and placed it on the floor, kicking it to one side. "Well that aside-"

"Literally," Inuyasha smirked.

Sesshoumaru shot a glare at his brother before resuming business. "I hope for your sakes that you're prepared. Only a week until the competition and the last thing I need if for you guys to be ill prepared."

"Relax," Koga said kicking back on his chair. "We're ready as we'll ever be. Ain't no way we're gonna lose to those pretty boys who can't write a song to save their lives. Most of them don't have any real musical talent as it is."

"Yes, but image is everything," Sesshoumaru pointed out, "and image is what they have going for them."

"So basically we're not a visual type," Miroku noted, tapping his snare thoughtfully. "But Kagome's so darn cute I thought we were a shoe in!"

"So darn cute?" Inuyasha repeated. "Miroku, I don't know what you're talking about."

"What, you don't think that I'm cute?" Kagome asked, offended.

"That's not what I meant! I just don't understand the jargon. Miroku would normally say you're damn cute."

"Gee, that's so much better," Kagome mumbled.

"I don't care if Kagome's good looking or if the world looks at Inuyasha as a sex symbol," Sesshoumaru interjected. "I just want to know that the one thing that really matters, the music, is ready for the competition. Less than a week, gentlemen."

"We know that all ready," Inuyasha answered, his patience wearing thinner and thinner by the passing moment. "I don't need you reminding us every twenty seconds."

"Oh, was that how long it was between notices?" Koga remarked.

"Smart ass comments aside, do you think we can win?"

Inuyasha shrugged as he caressed the Tetsusaiga. "I don't just think we can win, I know we can win. Now if you would be so kind as to leave us alone, I would be more than happy to continue on with this practice."

Sesshoumaru gave a polite nod as he left the room, with Rin, Jaken and Toutousai on his heels. He knew that they could win, but he wondered if they would truly be able to pull everything together.

"You have to have faith in them," Toutousai said, as if he were reading Sesshoumaru's thoughts.

"I have faith in them," Sesshoumaru answered tightly. "Plenty of faith."

"You have that same crease in your brow that your father had when he was worried about something. Relax, Inuyasha is in his element now."

"Old man, where do you get off saying such things to me?" Sesshoumaru growled, spinning around and glaring at Toutousai.

Toutousai was unfazed by the tone of Sesshoumaru's voice. "I knew your father for years. We did plenty of business together since instrument making is just a hobby of mine. You know as well as I do that I've known you your entire life."

To this Sesshoumaru snorted.

"Inuyasha loves music. He would never do anything to jeopardize his one chance to prove that he isn't a total failure," Toutousai continued. "He wants to win just as badly as you do, but not for the same reason. He want to prove to you and the world that he isn't the black sheep brother. He wants to prove that he can do something, and do it right. And apparently Kagome is the muse that he needed."

Sesshoumaru paused with Rin and Jaken behind him as Toutousai passed him. "Do you really think so?" The uncertainty in his amber eyes was obvious.

Toutousai gave a knowing smile. "I'd wager my life on it. Inuyasha is very determined, perhaps more so than you or I could ever know. He won't let you down."

"But-"

"Don't be so quick to assume failure in those that you see as unworthy. They're often the ones who will surprise you with sudden bursts of daring-do that can get the job done no matter what the situation. Onigumo Naraku may try to mess them up, but he won't be able to. They're just about to hit the zone."

With that, Toutousai proceeded to the main entrance to make his exit. Sesshoumaru remained in a stunned silence on the stairwell that led to the studio in the basement, Rin and Jaken remaining faithfully by his side.

* * *

For the next two hours the band tweaked and retweaked the cover of "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart." However no matter how punk they made it, it always sounded blasphemous and they never managed to get past the original feel of the song. 

"Admit it," Koga groaned as Inuyasha worked guitar chords on the brand new Tetsusaiga, "we're doomed."

"Goonies never say die," Inuyasha mumbled.

"Uh, slight problem with that logic," Miroku answered. "We're not Goonies."

"Well, whatever! Don't give up, dammit! I am not going to lose to those paper cut outs! We're the real band and we're going to make them piss themselves when we take the stage."

"Oh yes, that's a lovely visual," Kagome remarked dryly. "I'm with Koga on this. We can't remake this song to make it sound fresh and new. There's no freakin' way."

"We can do it," Inuyasha snarled, causing Kagome to recoil slightly. "We will do it! This is my one chance to prove to my overbearing brother that I am not a failure. I am not going to blow it just because my girlfriend and my bass player seem to think that we can't!"

Ginta and Hakkaku broke out into applause as Miroku sat back with a satisfied smile. However, Kagome and Koga were staring at him in slack jawed shock, though not for the same reasons. Kagome was stunned that Inuyasha had openly referred to her as his girlfriend when he had enough problems saying it when it was just the two of them. Koga was shocked because he had no idea that Inuyasha and Kikyo had even broken up in the first place.

Kagome recovered faster than Koga, and managed to breathe out, "You honestly believe that we can do this?"

Inuyasha nodded solemnly. "I do, but I can't do it by myself. We're going to amp up the baseline and maybe work in a killer guitar and or drum solo. We'll make this work. The reason why Naraku gave us the song in the first place is because he knew it's not our style. It's the exact opposite of what we usually do, to be precise. He's expecting us to choke but I'll be damned if I give him the satisfaction."

Koga glared as Inuyasha as he sauntered up to his leader. "I wanna know one thing."

Miroku grinned as he settled on his stool. Ohh, this was gonna be a good fight, he could just tell.

Inuyasha rose to full height and stared right back at Koga. "Yeah, and what's that?"

"Are you sure amping up the base line and adding a few embellishing solos is actually going to work?"

Inuyasha smirked at his bass player. "Not really. It's gonna take all of us to make this work."

"Then let's do it," Koga said, walking back to his guitar. "I don't wanna look like an idiot because of that asshole."

"That's the spirit," Inuyasha barked.

With a resigned sigh, Miroku picked up his drumsticks. Maybe the fireworks would be after rehearsals were over.

* * *

**Nods** Yup, yup. I had to the get the Tetsusaiga and the Tensaiga in there somehow, and making them instruments seemed like the best plan of action. And of course I also had to work in old Toutousai, so pretty much anyone who's anyone is in here. (Should I try to work in Mushin and Hachi, or would that be going overboard?) 

As always, read and review. And please, try to keep harassment to a minimum. I know I don't update as often as you guys and gals would like, believe I know I don't update as much as _I_ would like. Just bear with me for a bit more. The end is near.

Mercy-Angel-09


	14. Patetico

Face the Music

Chapter 14 – Patetico (With Great Passion)

Rating – M

Author's Notes – Did anyone else notice that I stopped putting the rating at the beginning of every chapter starting with number 3? Weird, normally I remember to put it on there. Well, in anycase, the muses have been whispering non-stop in my ear since the middle of last week which means . . . you get another update! Yay me! I have to say, I really appreciate all of the support you readers have been giving me. I apologize that chapter 13 was so short – but I felt that I left on in a place that would leave you wanting more. Well, did it work? Did you want more? Are you back reading more? (If you're reading this then I guess that means yes . . .) Anyway, on with the story!

* * *

Inuyasha was sure that his fingers were going to start bleeding, but he had to press on. They had finally managed to give more a rock edge to "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" by amping up the guitar line and inputting a small drum solo. A slight increase in the tempo helped as well, and after three straight hours of practice they finally felt comfortable performing the song. 

After what felt like the five hundredth run through, Kagome switched off her mike and headed for the door.

"Oy, Kagome, where do you think you're going?"

Kagome turned around shot Inuyasha a glare. "I'm going home. In case you didn't know, we've been singing for the last three hours. My voice is ready to give out on me. So if you don't mind, I'm calling it quits for today. I need some herbal tea for the throat." With that she stormed out of the studio, leaving Inuyasha stunned behind her.

"She has a point," Miroku said, putting his sticks down reaching to gather his sheet music. "We had a good practice, but we are only human and we can only take so much before our frail bodies give out on us."

"And what are you callin' me? A demon?"

"Well, maybe a half-demon," Miroku answered thoughtfully. "Anyway, that's beside the point."

Ginta and Hakakku watched Koga warily as they packed up their gear. It was obvious that nothing was going to happen in public, which was an oddity since Koga's normally volatile personality would ensure one hell of a smack down between the two. However Koga's face was the picture of pure ease so they were guessing that if Koga were going to explode, it would be after everyone left. They managed to assemble their things and slipped out of the studio. Miroku followed shortly after, leaving Inuyasha picking on the Tetsusaiga as Koga finished putting away his gear.

While Ginta and Hakakku had left the mansion completely, Miroku ducked into the control room and flipped on the microphones so he could hear what was going on. Careful to keep the lights off, he waited for the fight to begin.

At first it seemed like the two were simply ignoring each other, but Miroku knew enough about their personalities to know that this wasn't the case. Sure enough, after several moments of silence, Koga spoke up.

"So you dumped Kikyo. How crass." He was kneeling over his guitar case, carefully tucking the instrument away.

Inuyasha maintained a stubborn silence.

Slowly rising to his feet, Koga eyed Inuyasha before he realized what the silence meant. "You mean Kikyo dumped you!"

"Ya don't have to say it like that!" Inuyasha snarled, turning on his band mate.

Whoo, was this gonna be fun. Quickly flipping on the recording equipment, Miroku prayed they wouldn't notice the little blinking light that indicated that someone was taping the encounter.

"You were dumped. You had a girlfriend but you had to go after Kagome so she dumped you. Incredible!"

"Stop sayin' that!" Inuyasha said, his voice a low growl in his throat. "I didn't 'go after Kagome' like you said. We were just in the band together."

"Yeah, so explain why Kikyo dumped you."

"If you must know, even if it is none of your business, she met someone else."

"She met someone else? Who?"

"Some guy who goes to Kagome's school. How the hell should I know the details?"

"So how long have you and Kagome been datin' anyway?"

"I'm not going to dignify that question with an answer," Inuyasha answered, putting the Tetsusaiga away. "Besides, it's none of your business."

"Oh yes it is," Koga said, walking over to where Inuyasha was crouched. Reaching down, he grabbed Inuyasha roughly by the collar of his shirt and pulled him up so the boys were face to face. "Kagome was mine from the beginning."

"Oh shut up," Inuyasha spat back. "She doesn't even like you."

"She does too like me," Koga responded hotly.

"Okay, she's not attracted to you then."

"Take that back," Koga snarled.

"No, because it's true," Inuyasha answered.

"Take it back!" Koga bellowed as his fist collided with Inuyasha's jaw.

Inuyasha went reeling backwards, stunned, but only for a moment. Seconds later he let out a bellow of his own as he charged into Koga, ramming his shoulder into Koga's stomach. Koga groaned as the wind was knocked out of him, but he managed to grab hold of Inuyasha and spin him around so that he was now in a headlock. Thinking quickly, Inuyasha stomped on Koga's instep and flung his fist backwards so that it hit Koga's nose. Yelping in pain, Koga released Inuyasha, which allowed him to quickly move Tetsusaiga out of the way. The last thing he wanted was for it to get broken.

All the while, Miroku sat back, munching on a bag of Cheetos and watching the fight with a droll expression. Really, the two were just being silly at this point. Inuyasha had a bruise forming on his jaw where Koga had hit him. Koga had a bloody nose that was dripping down the front of shirt. With a sigh, Miroku realized that he would have to stop the fight to keep any real damage from happening. Standing, Miroku stretched before walking over to the intercom. Dialing Myoga, he smirked to himself.

"Myoga here."

"Yo, Myoga, we need a clean up in the studio."

"What did you spill now?" The irritation was apparent in Myoga's voice.

"Koga's blood."

Swtiching off the intercom, Miroku gathered up his backpack, switched off the recording equipment, grabbed the recording itself, and left the control room. Inuyasha and Koga had been completely oblivious to the fact that their whole argument had ended up on a CD. Miroku gave a cheerful salute to the poor maid that had been sent to the studio to clean up before reaching for his cell phone. Once he was out of the basement, he dialed Kagome's number.

"Hey there Kagster. Not much. Say, do you mind if I come over for a little bit? Really? Sango's there? Well, I don't mind, really. There's something you need to hear though. Yup, yup. Be over in a bit."

* * *

Kagome waited anxiously in the entry hall of her house. From the tone of Miroku's phone call, she had guessed that Koga and Inuyasha must have gotten into a fight and were both hospitalized and Miroku had felt it better that she be told in person rather than over the phone. 

"Kagome, don't you think you might be overreacting?" Sango asked as she watched Kagome pace around.

"Yeah, knowing those two, they're probably fine," Shippo said, chowing down on pocky. "Miroku's probably going to exaggerate what happened anyway so why worry?"

Kagome shook her head. "But this is Inuyasha and Koga we're talking about here. They probably got into a duel to the death or something as equally stupid."

"Nah, they just wrastled for a bit," Miroku answered, entering the house. "Recorded the whole thing."

"Was that necessary?" Sango asked, raising an eyebrow at him.

Miroku gave her a devilish grin. "My dear Sango, you of all people should know that all's fair in love and blackmail."

"I'm taking that to be a yes," Sango sighed as she made her way to the living room. "Well, is everyone else coming?"

Shippo scurried on behind her, but Kagome remained with Miroku as he removed his shoes. "Tell me, how bad was it?" she asked, biting her lip in concern.

"All things considered, not bad. Come on, listen to the CD and make a judgment for yourself," Miroku said, pulling out said CD.

Kagome took it from him and went down the hall to the living room. Planting herself in front of the CD player, she put in the disc and reluctantly hit play.

"_You were dumped. You had a girlfriend but you had to go after Kagome so she dumped you. Incredible!"_

_"Stop sayin' that! I didn't 'go after Kagome' like you said. We were just in the band together."_

"_Yeah, so explain why Kikyo dumped you."_

"_If you must know, even if it is none of your business, she met someone else."_

"_She met someone else? Who?"_

"_Some guy who goes to Kagome's school. How the hell should I know the details?"_

"_So how long have you and Kagome been datin' anyway?"_

"_I'm not going to dignify that question with an answer. Besides, it's none of your business."_

"_Oh yes it is. Kagome was mine from the beginning."_

"_Oh shut up. She doesn't even like you."_

"_She does too like me."_

"_Okay, she's not attracted to you then."_

"_Take that back."_

"_No, because it's true."_

"_Take it back!"_

Groaning, Kagome flopped back on the floor as she listened to Koga and Inuyasha fighting. "Oh my God. All of this over me."

"Yup, all of this over you. Koga had a bloody nose and Inuyasha had a bit of shiner on his jaw, but other than that, they're fine," Miroku answered with a smile as he turned off the CD. "Kagome, I'm sure things are fine. It's not like we've gotten a phone call saying that Koga quit the band."

The phone rang and Kagome stared at it fearfully. Even Miroku looked nervous, so Sango decided to be the adult and answer it. "Higurashi residence. Oh, hi Inuyasha. Yes, Kagome's here."

Handing the phone off to Kagome, Sango gave her a look that said, "You'd better talk or else." Swallowing nervously, Kagome managed to squeak out, "Hello?"

"Koga quit the band!"

Kagome glared at Miroku, who flushed brightly under her stare. "Was it about earlier?"

"Yeah. He still thinks that you're his girlfriend."

"But I'm not attracted to him. He nice, and I like him as a friend and band mate, but I don't want to date him."

"That's what I told him but he doesn't believe me. Listen, Kagome, I don't wanna be a burden, but-"

"I'll see if I can talk to him. Maybe get him to at least cooperate with us for the competition."

"If he wants to quit after, fine with me but we don't have enough time to replace him before Naraku's competition."

"I know that," Kagome answered tightly. "I'll see what I can do but I'm not making any promises. It just might make things worse."

"Well something is better than nothing," Inuyasha said before he hung up. With a sigh, Kagome hung up her phone before glaring at Miroku some more.

"You just had to open your big mouth," she said after several minutes.

"What, just because I said it means that it happened? Come on Kagome don't be stupid. You know as well as I do that you were a threat to the balance of the group. It was pretty obvious from the get go that both Koga and Inuyasha liked you. There was no avoiding it. In fact I'm surprised we made it this long before those two went up in arms over you."

"I know it's my fault!" Kagome said, tears pricking her eyes. "How could I not know? We were fine so long as Inuyasha and Kikyo were still together, but after she broke up with him, I knew it wasn't going to last long."

"Kagome, it's not your fault completely," Sango said soothingly. "Those two pinheads are partly to blame too."

"Yeah, don't worry about it," Shippo added.

"I wouldn't, except now Sesshoumaru is going to hate me too."

"He won't," Miroku answered. "At least, I don't think so."

"Not helping," Sango told him tightly as Kagome burst into tears.

* * *

It took an hour before Kagome was ready to face the world. She had sobbed and sniffled while Sango and Shippo tried to calm her, but then Miroku would make an offhand comment that would send her into yet another fit of tears. Finally fed up with his needling, Sango sent Miroku packing so that Kagome would settle down for good. "Really Kagome, the whole affair is just stupid," she said as she rocked her friend. "But that doesn't mean you can just leave Koga. You're going to have to talk to him since he probably won't listen to Miroku or Inuyasha." 

"I know," Kagome said, her voice shaking from all of the crying she'd done.

"How are you going to get a hold of him?" Shippo asked. "He probably won't answer his phone if he knows it you."

Sango nodded. "That could prove difficult."

"I'll ask Ginta and Hakakku. Those two usually know what Koga's up to."

Shippo handed Kagome the phone, and she quickly dialed Ginta's cell. After two rings, he picked up with a wary hello.

"Ginta, I hate to do this to you," Kagome started, her voice thick with another round of tears.

"You should be able to find him in one of three places," Ginta answered, as if he knew why Kagome was calling. "One, he's in his garage working on his car. Said something about a detailing kit. Two, he's at Wacdonald's eating his sorrows away. Three, he's in his spot. It's some grassy hill at a local park. If you want I'll take you there."

"Would you?" Kagome asked, relief flooding over her.

"Sure."

* * *

Wringing her hands for the entire car ride, Kagome tried to think of what she would say to Koga that would bring him back into the band, but everything she thought of sounded stupid. Ginta remained respectfully silent, but eventually he broke down. "Kagome, he really likes you." 

"I know he does. But I don't feel the same way about him, and is that really fair?"

Ginta shook his head as he made the turn towards the park. "No, of course not. It's not fair to either of you. But you have to understand how he feels. The girl of his dreams has been taken by a very good friend of his. He and Inuyasha were close. Not best friends, but more like cousins. They'd argue and bicker, but they stood up for each other. Kind of like you and Kikyo."

"I understand that."

"Then you understand why his heart has been broken. If you liked someone he didn't know, some guy from your school, he'd probably be taking it a lot better. However from the minute you joined the band, it was pretty obvious that Inuyasha had interest in you as more than just our lead vocalist. Inuyasha's stubborn, so I'm assuming something pretty big went down between him and Kikyo now that you're dating. He's not the type who betrays easily."

"So what do you suggest I say to Koga?" Kagome asked meekly.

"Tell him the truth. Honesty really is the best policy, and maybe if you're really earnest, he'll come around."

They rode the rest of the way to the park in silence. Once they reached their destination, Ginta indicated to the hill where Koga would probably be found. He opted to remain at the car while Kagome attempted to talk to her former band mate.

Tentatively she approached him. Hoping that he wouldn't lash out, or worse, run, she greeted him. "Uh, hi Koga."

He gave her a glance over his shoulder before he returned to staring at the horizon. Taking the fact that he was sitting still a good thing, Kagome sat down a ways from him. "So, hell of a practice we had today. I thought that if we went any longer I would have lost my voice. I'm still a little hoarse."

"Mm."

"But I think we've made a lot of progress. I'm sure we'll win."

"I'm sure you will."

With a heavy sigh, Kagome knew she couldn't make small talk for long. "Listen, I heard about what happened. Inuyasha called me and told me that you had quit the band."

"It's for the best," came the mumbled response.

"Is it? You're just going to quit then? How selfish is that!"

Startled, Koga stared at her. "Listen, I know you're madly in love with me, or whatever, but quitting the band because I don't like you back is just stupid!" Kagome continued. Ginta had suggested honesty; well she was going to heap it on, come what may. "Look, you're nice and all, but I just don't like you that way. You're like a good friend. I can talk music and video games with you. Go out and grab a slice of pizza or something. But I have never had romantic feelings towards you. I don't know why, but somehow I found myself drawn to Inuyasha. Call it fate or whatever, but I couldn't fight it. And believe me, I tried to. No, correct that, we both tried to fight it for the sake of the band. I figured that you guys would at least try and support us or keep our personal lives separate from the band but clearly that was asking too much!"

Koga had returned to staring at the horizon. "You just don't get it."

"You're right, I don't get it!" Kagome nearly screamed at him. "You won't tell me what's bugging you!"

"All of my life, Inuyasha and I have been friends and rivals. His family is a lot richer than mine, and always has been. Inuyasha was always given what he wanted. All he had to do was look at some chick and she'd melt and go for him. Me? Not so lucky. I know I'm not as attractive as Inuyasha, but for once in my life a girl liked me more than Inuyasha. For my personality. For me. Not some stupid superficial reason, which is why all of the girls went for that prat in the first place."

Kagome blinked at a few times as if trying to sort out all of what Koga had just told her. "So because I was constantly picking on Inuyasha and friendly with you – Oh my. I'm sorry. I didn't think I was leading you on."

"You weren't. I was just delusional. Now you know why I have to quit the band."

"Nope, it's still a stupid reason to quit the band."

Again Koga started. "What are you talking about?"

"You're giving up and that's just lame. Get over it and move on with your life. In case you haven't noticed, there's a perfectly nice girl who happens to like you for who you are. She also thinks you're attractive. Can you really ask for much more than that?"

"But-"

"Ayame, stupid. She's head over heels in love with you, but you've been so hung up on me you haven't noticed. Pull your head out of your ass and get with the program."

Koga snickered.

"Oh, that was funny was it?"

"I just have a hard time dealing with the fact that you just told me to pull my head outta my ass."

Kagome punched his shoulder. "Well deal with it." Standing, she glared down at him. "The next phone call I get from Inuyasha had better be to tell me that you're back with the band."

* * *

Fireworks enough for y'all? I didn't want to write a long, drawn out fight scene, so it just seemed best that most of it was verbal before a few punches were thrown and it stopped. I was thinking that perhaps I could work Mushin into the next chapter, but Hachi presents a problem as he's, well, not exactly humanoid. So maybe he'll become Miroku's pet or something. Like his dog (he's a tanuki, so it's not that much of a stretch). Does that still sound weird? 

Anyway, I gotta jet. As always, read and review!

Mercy-Angel-09


	15. Lacrimoso

Face the Music

Chapter 15 – Lacrimoso (Mournful)

Rating – M

Author's Notes –

Hello to all in reader land. I know, you've been waiting since July for an update, but I've had a serious attack of the real life since then. For example, family crises and my computer getting stolen. When my computer was jacked, so was the in-progress copy of this fic. I had no back-up, just a vague memory about how I wanted it to go. The next thing I know is that I sat down at my computer a few days ago and started typing like mad. This is the end result.

You may have noticed that the rating has been changed from Teen to Mature. After some serious consideration, I decided that the language in some of the past chapters (and quite possibly later ones, depending on how mad Inuyasha will get) was a little salty for my tween to teen readers, and rather than run the risk of getting busted for a rating infraction (again), I have made the pro-active decision to change the rating to that of Mature.

Okay, finally, fair warning to all, this chapter started off funny and light hearted, rather like the rest, and then all of a sudden became a drama chapter. This will probably continue through the next chapter and then I'll bring back more of the humor. This chapter is also pretty Sango/Miroku heavy, since I figured it was about time that their relationship had more development.

I think that's all I wanted to say. Um, keep reading!

* * *

Ginta remained blessedly silent as he drove Kagome back to her house. Kagome was glad that she didn't have to reiterate her conversation with Koga; she just wanted to move on. She had given him a piece of her mind and she hoped that Koga would be mature enough to deal with it on his own. She felt bad, seeing as she had single-handedly broken his heart but at this point her nerves were shot beyond sympathy.

Ginta murmured a good-bye as Kagome exited his car and trudged up the temple steps to her house. She fervently hoped that her family would be occupied so that she could go up to her room undisturbed and not have to answer a million questions in regards to her most recent task. Thankfully fate was on her side, as she encountered no one on her way to the house and up to her room.

Then again, fate had a funny way of laughing at her. Lo and behold, stretched out on her bed and flipping through an issue of Elle, was Inuyasha. He didn't seem to notice that she had entered; instead he was looking at the fashions that were popular at the publishing of that particular issue. Kagome sighed as she rolled her eyes, causing Inuyasha to look up from the magazine.

"So you're back!"

"Duh."

"How did it go? Is he back with the band?"

"I don't know," Kagome answered as she sat down at her desk. "He hadn't made up his mind when I left. I just told him to pull his head out of his ass and get with the program, and that the next call I got from you would be to say that he was back with the band. It's completely up to him at this point."

"That's not what I wanted to hear, Kagome."

"Well, what were you expecting? Heralding trumpets to announce his return?" Kagome asked bitterly. "While I completely understand my role in this whole fiasco, I would have to say that you owe him an apology as well!"

"I'm not sorry," Inuyasha answered stubbornly. "I didn't do anything wrong."

"Well, try telling Koga that!"

"I did and his answer was a fist in my jaw."

It was only when he brought attention to the fight from earlier that day that Kagome saw the bruise that had bloomed on Inuyasha's jaw. Koga could obviously hit a lot harder than she had originally thought. Sighing in resignation, Kagome leaned back in her chair. Inuyasha had defended his actions, and all it had gotten him was a bruise that marred a near perfect face. "Fine, I understand. But Koga seems to think that you've done a lot more to hurt him."

"Why, because my family is richer and I'm more attractive to the girls?"

It hadn't sounded so ridiculous when Koga had been ranting about it earlier, but when Inuyasha said it; the fact of the matter was that Koga was nitpicking over something that was beyond Inuyasha's control. He hadn't asked to be born rich, nor had he asked to have such a handsome face. "It doesn't sound s serious when you say it."

"Feh! Of course not!" Inuyasha snorted. "I don't have control over those things. It's not like I purposely make myself look all pretty for the cameras. That's Sesshoumaru's thing. I also didn't ask to be born into one of the wealthiest families in all of Japan. I'm tired of fighting with him over things I can't do a damn thing about!"

When he turned to Kagome, she noticed that his face had a drawn look, like he hadn't gotten much sleep over the last couple of days, or in this case, he had been so worried about the band that in a matter of hours he managed to look completely worn. Something in her heart tugged, causing her to get up from her desk chair and go to him on the bed. She sat next to him and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm so sorry. I never meant to break up the band."

Inuyasha tipped his head so his rested against hers. "I know you didn't. We dragged you into this. You don't regret it, do you?"

"No, not really. It's been the experience of a lifetime. Imagine someone like me, who has no real formal training in music, just a natural talent, who gets the chance of a lifetime. I think I would have been incredibly stupid to pass it up."

"I'm glad you didn't. You've really brought a great dynamic to the band. Even though I thought you would mess everything up, you've helped us in ways I never even thought possible. Thank you, Kagome," Inuyasha said earnestly.

"Say, Inuyasha," Kagome said, looking up at him questioningly, "why were you so against me being in the band?"

Inuyasha held silent for a few minutes before taking a deep breath. "Because I was scared of you."

"Scared? You? Of me?"

"Yes, of you. Or more accurately, the way you made me feel. Whenever you were around there were times where your attitude made me want to smack you, but then you'd do something else and then I could feel myself falling in love with you. I resisted it because of Kikyo, but ultimately I couldn't ignore it. Then when Kikyo figured out how I felt, she broke up with me to give us a chance. I can't ignore fate, can I?"

"Well, technically you could, but that has been known to be hazardous to one's health," Kagome replied. The pair fell into an awkward silence before Kagome finally said, "You scared me, too."

Inuyasha chuckled at that. "I scare a lot of people."

"Well, probably not for the same reasons. When I filled in for Kikyo, I knew exactly what my duties were to be. I was to report to Myoga and do any tasks he assigned to me. I never thought that we'd end up spending so much time together. The next thing I knew was that I was spending more time than I had anticipated with you. You made me feel things that I didn't know I could," she admitted. She paused for a moment to think before tacking on, "But mostly just rage and frustration."

Inuyasha gasped in mock horror. "Rage and frustration! I would never make a person feel those emotions!"

Kagome pulled back and playfully punched his shoulder before settling in against him again. "Jerk. Anyway, I'm glad I'm part of the band. I just hope that Koga comes around and says he'll be back."

"Me too, Kagome. Me too."

They sat in silence for several minutes until Inuyasha's cell phone began to ring. Miroku had been playing with the settings so it sounded like an old fashioned telephone, which Inuyasha didn't really mind so he hadn't changed it. Shifting so he could get into his pocket, Inuyasha brought out his phone and answered. "Inuyasha." He was quiet for a moment before saying, "I understand. Thanks for calling." Hanging up, he put the phone back into his pocket and turned to Kagome. "I don't know what you said, but it worked. Koga said he'd be back."

"Well, I told him to pull his head out his ass."

"Yes, I remember. I just wasn't going to comment on it. I always figured you had a tough side to you that didn't come out unless you were really mad."

"Well, I was really mad."

Kissing Kagome's forehead, Inuyasha continued. "You know I can't believe how much has changed. The first time I saw you I was awestruck. I mean, you completely bewitched me, body and soul."

Kagome was thoughtful for a moment before turning to Inuyasha. "Wait as second. Did you just paraphrase _Pride & Prejudice_?" she asked, giving him a puzzled look. Inuyasha was not the type to suffer through chick flicks at all. Several conversations with Kikyo had made that clear.

Coloring slightly, Inuyasha began to name off excuses. "My mother was watching it."

"No, I think there's more to it than that. Tell me the truth."

"There's nothing to tell!"

"Liar."

"I am not a liar. Just because Miroku thought it would be a good idea to go to the movie in the theater to pick up chicks-" Inuyasha stopped when he realized that he had said more than he had originally intended to. "It was Miroku's idea."

Kagome nodded, a delighted smirk on her face. "Uh-huh. To pick up chicks. Did you meet any that you liked."

"I was dating Kikyo at the time, and besides he was the one who was looking. I went along because he was threatening me."

"With what?"

"He just had some stupid pictures of me doing some interesting things around the pool."

"Blackmail? He blackmailed you into going to a chick flick."

"Yes, he did. Bastard. Besides all of the girls that were there had the sole mission of ogling the guy who played Mr. Darcy. At least you're not like that. Not your type of movie."

"I happen to think very highly of that movie, if you must know."

Inuyasha cocked an eyebrow. "Is that so? I'm assuming you've also read the book."

"Yeah, sure."

"Then that makes sense, if you've read the book then you'd want to see the movie."

"Of course. You know that the line you just paraphrased isn't in the book, right?"

"Damn."

"Yup, damn. Well, do we need to call people to let them know that all's well?"

"Koga can tell Ginta and Hakkaku. We'll tell Miroku."

"Where is Miroku? I left him here." Kagome was still annoyed that even when Sango had insisted that he leave the temple complex in its entirety, he'd merely wandered the short distance down the hall to

"All I know is that when I arrived, he was headed out the door saying something about a shower and some fresh clothes. I bet he went home."

"Your home or his home."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome. "His home. Come on, you'd have to meet Mushin and Hachi at some point. Might as well be now."

* * *

Miroku's mansion, while not as grand as the Taji family's, was still a heck of a lot bigger than anything Kagome was used to. The building, however grand it might have been in its glory days, had now faded in to a mere shell of itself. The paint was flaking and chipping, shutters were starting to fall from the windows, and dirt covered nearly every surface. If this was the exterior, Kagome plugged her nose in anticipation of the interior.

However, the exterior hid the true charms of the house. Inside, the house looked just as it should have, clean, elegant, and it smelled pleasantly of fresh flowers and household cleaners. A squat little man who reminded Kagome of a tanuki waddled into the foyer where Inuyasha and Kagome stood. It was then that Kagome realized that Inuyasha had just walked into the house rather than waiting to be let in.

"Are you looking for Master Miroku?" the little tanuki man asked, regarding them curiously.

"Yeah, is he up in his room?" Inuyasha replied.

"Of course. You know the way, Master Inuyasha." With that, the little tanuki man turned back around and waddled back through the door he'd come through.

Inuyahsa started up the grand staircase that was the center of foyer, while Kagome stood dumbly rooted to where she stood. "Who was that?" she finally asked, pointing to the door the little tanuki man had gone through.

Chuckling, Inuyasha went back down the steps, grabbed Kagome's hand, and started to pull her towards the stairs. "That is Hachiemon, but we usually just call him Hachi."

"If you call him anything at all!" Kagome said, following Inuyasha up the stairs. There were two sets of steps that met to form the grand staircase, and Inuyasha headed left. Once to the second floor, he led her to one of the rooms, which was just off the second floor grand hall. He launched into an explanation about the state of Miroku's house.

"He's the caretaker of the house. He has a small staff that keeps the interior looking so nice. The exterior-" Inuyasha fell silent and shook his head. "The family fortune is not what it used to be."

"His mother?" Kagome asked in a small voice.

Inuyasha gave a solemn nod. "She wasn't always that way. The depression hit shortly after his father died. Instead of taking care of herself, she just let herself go and obviously I told you about what Miroku did."

"He went to your family."

"Anyway, the last nine years have been spent wondering if he was going to find her in her room."

There was some shuffling upstairs before Miroku came tearing down the stairs off to one side of the grand hall, speaking calmly into his cell phone. "Yes, I'm sure she's dead. I checked her pulse, and I couldn't find one. I put a mirror under her nose and came up with nothing. Yes I'm sure it wasn't a no-fog mirror! She's dead. Please, just come and get the body."

In the distance, the dull wail of sirens was growing louder. "Yes, yes, I'll be at the entrance to meet the ambulance. Yes, they're almost here." Miroku looked up at Kagome and Inuyasha, his face a stoic mask. "Right, right. She's on the third floor. There's a service elevator they can use. Yes, I understand." He headed down to the foyer and was at the door, opening it for the paramedics who had just arrived. "They're here now. Good-bye." They heard his phone click as he shut it, and then he greeted the paramedics with, "She's up in her bedroom. Let me show you to the service elevator so you can take the gurney up."

* * *

It was supposed to be a happy moment, where the band could revel in the fact that they were back together and that they had a fighting chance at winning the competition. Instead they found themselves holed up in Miroku's living room well after nine at night, watching their friend pace about with a cell phone glued to his ear. Kagome had pleaded with Ginta to pick up Sango on his way over, and her friend now sat on a chair, carefully watching Miroku's every move.

Hachi had been quite calm when he was informed that his mistress was dead, and had promptly fixed a pot of tea. It sat, untouched, on the coffee table in the middle of the room. It was silent except for the ticking of an antique grandfather clock in the foyer, and Miroku's dealings with the family lawyer. After half an hour of strained conversation, Miroku hung up his phone and turned to his friends.

"Thanks for being here, but really, you must have something better to do than sit in the house with me."

Sango rose and gently embraced his shoulders from behind. "It's okay. I don't mind and neither do the others."

"We're all the family you have now," Koga said quietly. "You need us right now so don't shut us out."

The speech would have gone further, if an obviously drunk old man hadn't bobbed and weaved into the living room. "Wow. I haven't see this many people in the house since your father died."

"Mushin, please don't," Inuyasha said tightly. "Miroku has enough to deal with without you adding those memories to it."

The old man shrugged. "Please, Tsukiko was merely a shell of her former self."

Inuyahsa jumped up, ready to argue, but Miroku held up a hand to quiet them. "Inuyasha, it's okay. Since the day my father died I have been preparing myself. The day I turned sixteen, the family lawyer set up a meeting so that I would know what to do when my mother passed. It is nothing new to me."

"But that doesn't mean that you aren't hurting," Sango whispered.

"Of course I'm hurting, Sango," Miroku said, looking over his shoulder to see her face. "But I will deal with it. My mother has been dead to me for many years. Only now I will have a grave to visit."

Such harsh words, but Kagome knew that they were the truth. While Miroku had dealt with the paramedics regarding his mother's remains, Inuyasha had sat Kagome down and explained about Miroku's family.

His father, Isamu Miyamoto, was born in to a prominent family that had made its fortune in international trade, more accurately, the shipping of items to and from Japan. He'd done business with the Taji Corporation and as a result, Miroku and Inuyasha had known each other since they were young boys. When Miroku was nine years old, his father had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, which was rare considering his age.

Following the diagnosis, Tsukiko had fallen into a downward spiral. As she cared for her ailing husband, she cared nothing for herself or their child. Once Isamu passed on, Miroku was left with out a father figure and a mother that could barely stand to look at him.

Kagome had asked if there had been anyone else in Miroku's family to look after him since his mother was clearly unable to, but Inuyasha had coldly replied that his paternal and maternal grandparents were dead and his parents were only children. The only person who could look after the boy was an old friend of Miroku's paternal grandfather – an old womanizing drunk named Mushin. He'd been in and out of retirement communities, but was always given the boot because of his roaming hands.

Suddenly Kagome understood where Miroku had picked up the habit from.

After that, Inuyasha had refused to say more. Instead he pulled out his cell phone and began to dial numbers. Taking the hint, Kagome also pulled out her cell phone and began making calls as well.

And that brought them to where they currently were. It was nearly ten at night and no one had made a move. When it had grown too dark to see, Hachi had come in and turned on the lamps before leaving. No one talked, no one moved, they just sat.

Sesshoumaru had pointed out during the morning practice that they had less than a week until the competition. In the span of nearly twelve hours, their lives had been thrown completely for a loop. Inuyasha had declared, under no uncertain terms, that he and Kagome were a couple. Koga had quit the band. Kagome had knocked a little common sense into Koga and he rejoined the band. Miroku's mother had died. And there was now a little over five days before the competition.

"Miroku, I would completely understand if you don't want to do the competition," Inuyasha said quietly. "We don't have to do it." Miroku said nothing, he just sighed heavily as if asking for permission not to answer right away. Taking the hint, Inuyasha stood up. "I think it's time we got going. Come on Kagome, I'll drive you home."

Kagome nodded, and rose to her feet, motioning for Koga, Ginta and Hakkaku to come as well. Looking at Sango, the girl shook her head and her eyes clearly said that she would stay with Miroku however long he needed her. Roaming hands and all.

Smiling at her friend, Kagome nodded and followed Inuyasha from the living room as he led her away from that sad house of death.

* * *

Miroku didn't know how long he and Sango stood in the living room after the others had left. Her head rested between his shoulder blades and her arms wrapped around his own. For a long while they stood together, Miroku taking comfort in the fact that Sango was still with him, and Sango taking comfort in the beating of Miroku's heart and the steady pace of his breath.

However he broke free, and headed towards the grand staircase and what Sango deduced to be the general direction of his bedroom. "Wait," she called softly, hoping he would say something. He merely turned and gave her an inquiring look before continuing. "Miroku, please, don't shut me out like this. Talk to me."

"No," he replied quietly. "You couldn't possibly understand how I feel right now."

"Oh? The feeling of loosing your parents isn't unknown to me. M-my parents are dead, too."

Miroku stopped on the landing of the grand staircase and looked down at her. "I'm sure."

"No, it's a long story and only Kagome knows what really happened," she explained walking up to meet him. She grabbed his hands and held them tight within her own. "Please, Miroku. Let me tell you this, and maybe you'll find some comfort."

Heaving a sigh, Miroku took Sango's right hand and led her to his room. She noted that it was surprisingly clean. No laundry heaped on the floor or dirty dishes littering his desk and dressers. There wasn't even a speck of dust. Rock and roll posters covered the walls, but otherwise it looked like it could have been a guest room. Miroku sat down on his bed and indicated for Sango to sit down at his desk. Pulling the chair next to the bed so she could look him face as she spoke, Sango settled into her seat and took a deep breath.

"It was two years ago. I had just started at a community college and I really liked it here in Tokyo. I had a job, my own place, I was making friends, and overall things were going fine. I grew up in a small town that's half way between here and Kyoto. I was finally asserting my independence, but I was still close to my family. Once a month I took the train home to visit my parents and my brother.

"Anyway, it was springtime, and I was getting close to finishing up the semester. I had planned to go home that weekend, but my mother had called and told me not to come. My brother, Kohaku, was going on an overnight field trip, and my parents had decided that they would have a romantic weekend at home. I knew that they didn't really get a lot of time to themselves, so I said that it was no problem and I would spend the weekend studying.

"It was pretty late, around one or two in the morning and I was up cramming for an exam that would be on Tuesday. Suddenly there's banging on my front door. I opened it to find two police men standing there, and by the looks on their faces I knew that something really terrible had happened. At first I thought that Kohaku had been hurt on his fieldtrip, but I was wrong.

"That spring had been drier than past ones, and all of the dead plants weren't as wet as usual. Some of the neighbors had been shooting off fireworks when one went out of control and landed in the brush near my parents' house. They were trapped on the second floor, and even though the fire was contained with little damage, there was heavy smoke. My parents died of smoke inhalation.

"I returned home and stayed with a neighbor until Kohaku got home, and then I moved him to Tokyo with me. I know, like me, he misses our parents. There's a big, gaping hold in our hearts, but we're trying our best to move on. Kohaku was accepted in a private academy that our family has attended for generations. I have school and more recently the band to keep me busy. I move on because I know that my parents would not want me to stop living simply because they were gone."

Miroku said nothing. Rather he stared into Sango's face. Several times her voice became thick with tears she fought to hold back, but now that she was done, they were silently running down her face. She understood. Though she wasn't as young as he had been, she knew what it was like to lose both parents. She even had a younger brother to look after. But he didn't feel like talking. Remaining silent, he grabbed Sango's hands and pulled her onto the bed. He lay so that he faced her, and since the bed was a king size, there was plenty of room for the pair.

Lying on a bed with Miroku was not on Sango's list of to do's for the night. She had rather hoped that Hachi would show her to a guest room, but the look on Miroku's face reminded her of a little boy lost. Biting her lip in resignation, she gave a light nod. "Fine, I'll stay with you. But if you try anything funny, I will not hesitate to hurt you."

* * *

I opted for a medium length chapter. I knew that if I kept going, this chapter would be 20 pages long and that was a little more than I wanted to be at. So this particular mini-arc will span over two chapters. Expect resolution (and possibly some groping) in the next chapter.

Oh, and a break down of hours: rehearsal started at 10, rehearsal ended at 1, Inuyasha and Koga fight at 1:30, Kagome talks to Koga at 4, Kagome goes home to find Inuyasha at 4:50, Inuyasha and Kagome go to Miroku's house at 5: 25, everyone but Sango leaves Miroku's house at 10. Pretty darn busy 12 hours they had. And Sango's staying the night. In Miroku's room. In Miroku's bed.

Yes, yes, I know I'm evil for letting you all hang like this, but really, if I know I'm leaving you wanting more, I know you'll all be back.

As always, leave a review. I try to respond if I can! Can't wait to hear from you!

Mecy-Angel-09


	16. Mesto

Face the Music

Chapter 16 – Mesto (_sad_)

Rating – M

Disclaimer – I do not own Inuyasha. I've merely borrowed Rumiko Takahashi's brilliant characters and put them into my own twisted imaginings.

Author's Notes –

This chapter was quite the trip. From trying to figure out the "morning after" to researching Japanese funerary customs, I found myself drowning because of my own ambition (as well as the random things that just seem to come out of my fingertips). This chapter mostly focuses on Miroku and Sango the next morning as well as the funeral of Miroku's mother. It's not as funny as previous chapters (I think I'm seriously lacking in the humor department in this one) but I find it hard to have a sense of humor about death (never mind that I have one of the most morbid senses of humor out of all of my friends).

* * *

Miroku woke up when the room was bright with the morning sun. Looking around in confusion, he took a moment to adjust to the fact that he was in his room, in his house, on his own bed. Lying across from him was Sango, who was still in a deep sleep. Blinking away the fuzz from his eyes, Miroku focused on Sango's face and smiled. As far as he knew, he'd spent the entire night with her and hadn't done anything stupid. With a sigh, he wondered why it was that when he didn't want to get laid that the girl was willing to spend the night with him, but any other time she refused him flat out.

Life was funny that way. Carefully rolling over, Miroku got out of bed and quietly left his room, allowing Sango to sleep as much as she needed to. He padded downstairs to the kitchen, where he found Mushin and Hachi sitting over a pot of coffee. "What are you doing?"

"Having breakfast," came Mushin's reply. "We were also making bets as to when you would be waking up."

"Ha, ha," Miroku said, walking over to the fridge and pulling out a carton of orange juice. "You think you're so funny."

"I happen to know that I'm hilarious. So, did ya get a hand on the girl last night?"

Miroku's back straightened as he turned to face Msushin. "She was vulnerable last night. I didn't lay so much as a finger on her." He screwed up his face for a moment before adding, "Though I don't know if I accidentally grabbed her while we were both asleep."

"Good for you, Master Miroku," Hachi said with an approving nod. "I always knew that you could behave yourself."

"Not much fun in it though," Mushin threw in.

Hachi shot him a dirty look before looking Miroku over. The young man had dark circles under his eyes, disheveled hair, and he still wore the clothes from the day before. His face was haggard, but there was still light in his eyes. "You look better than I thought you would."

Miroku shrugged. "I suppose I always knew that this day would come. I just find it hard to mourn a person that I hardly knew. The good times were so long ago that it makes it difficult to find something to miss and be sad about. It's easier just not to care."

Mushin whapped Miroku's hands with his always nearby folding fan, causing the young man to jump. "Don't say such blasphemous things boy!" he barked. "She was your mother and even if she didn't act like it she loved you!"

Looking at Miroku's startled expression, Hachi was reminded of a deer caught in the headlights. "What Mushin means is that in your mother's more lucid moments, she knew that she was neglecting you and was deeply sorry. She actually set up a fund for the Taji's to use for your expenses. Technically it was a direct monthly deposit from the family account into the Taji's account to pay for anything that you needed. She knew that she wasn't fit to raise you, so she was glad that Izayoi was willing to lend a hand. The two knew each other since grade school."

Miroku was once again startled. "They knew each other in grade school?"

"Yes," Hachi answered. "They were best friends. It was difficult for Izayoi to watch her friend deteriorate as she did, and that's why she was so willing to look after you. Old Taji would have left you, but Izayoi pleaded your case and swore up and down that she'd leave him if he didn't consent to looking after you. They assumed partial guardianship of you because your mother was deemed incapable. Though it is fitting seeing as Izayoi is your godmother."

"Was my mother Inuyasha's godmother?" Miroku asked quietly.

"Yes, but thankfully Izayoi's health has held out. After your father died, it was decided that Koga's parents would take on the responsibility of guardianship of both of you if something happened to Izayoi and her husband," Hachi explained. "It's been difficult and heartbreaking for all parties involved."

Miroku nodded, sitting down on a stool at the breakfast bar. He hadn't known that Inuyasha's mother and his mother had been childhood friends. However it did explain why Izayoi had always given him hugs and supported him when he thought that no one cared. He would have to find a way to thank her.

"So where's that pretty young thing that you slept with last night?" Mushin asked, ripping Miroku out of his thoughts.

"We slept in the same bed, we did not sleep together," Miroku answered tightly. "She's still sleeping."

"Wore her out?"

"Again, I did not sleep with her. We simply – gah! – Why am I even trying to explain this to you?" Miroku asked, frustrated with the way that Mushin was twisting every word that came out his mouth. "Her life hasn't been all roses and sunshine either, so I felt that she could use some rest after what she told me last night."

"How noble of you," Hachi remarked.

Suddenly feeling that his two companions were deliberately trying to make him feel as horrible as possible, Miroku grabbed his glass of juice and left the kitchen. "I'm going to the solarium. If you need me, you know where I am."

Hachi glared at Mushin after Miroku had walked out of earshot. "You just had to harass him about that nice, young lady, didn't you?"

Mushin merely shrugged.

* * *

When Sango woke, she realized that she was alone. She distinctly remembered that Miroku had been with her when she fell asleep, and she found it odd that he had left her alone. Then again, Miroku was proving to be full of surprises and it was possible that he was being considerate and allowed her to sleep longer.

Of course Miroku was also the biggest pervert she'd ever met and she would have completely accepted it if he had been sitting at his desk, watching her sleep.

Stretching out, she mustered herself to get out of bed and track down her wayward host. Deciding to start on the ground floor, she headed to the east wing first, hoping that he'd be in the unexplored region of the house. After finding a breakfast room and a music conservatory (complete with a beautiful grand piano and an antique harpsichord) she entered the solarium and found him reading the morning paper, an empty juice glass on the table beside him.

"Good morning," she said quietly, hoping she wouldn't startle him.

Miroku looked up from the paper and smiled pleasantly, which gave her the chills. His mother had just died, but he didn't look sad. Instead he looked like he did any other day of the week. Feeling a little angry, she walked over to him and bent over to glare at him eye to eye.

"Something wrong, Sango?"

"Aren't you sad at all?"

Cocking his head to the side, Miroku gave her an inquisitive look. "About what?"

"About what?!" Sango asked incredulously. "About your mother, that's what!"

"Sango, did you learn nothing last night? My mother was a negligent alcoholic. I'll be upset the day Izayoi dies, but my mother's passing was merely inevitable. Yes, I am sorry that she died in such a way, but I had been preparing for this for the last ten years. I find it hard to mourn the loss of a person who wasn't active in my life."

"I guess it didn't really sink in," she mumbled as she sat down at the wrought iron bistro table. "I was so close to my parents-"

"Yes, I figured that much," Miroku said soothingly. "Your loss was greater than mine. But for most of my life my mother ignored me so I really didn't think of her like my mother. I reserve that title for Izayoi, who raised me."

"Izayoi? Inuyasha's mother?"

"The same. A wonderful woman, I would have been a lost cause without her."

Sango pondered Miroku's bond with Inuyasha's mother. The woman had been an aide to Sesshoumaru's mother, so she wasn't without some social standing, but not nearly as high up as Miroku's own mother or her late husband. "Did they have a connection somewhere?"

"Who?"

"Your mother and Inuyasha's mother."

Miroku smiled slightly. "I was just informed this morning that they were close childhood friends. I'm not quite sure, but I'm thinking that either Izayoi's family served my mother's family, or they met through some strange series of coincidences and became inseparable. Who is to say?"

"You could always ask Izayoi."

Miroku answered with a soft laugh. Sango let herself revel in the sound, so light and musical. Perhaps it was better that he was able to move on. Sango remembered that her own grief had nearly consumed her, and if it hadn't been for Kohaku, she would have been lost. It had taken her nearly six months to laugh after her parents died, yet Miroku was able to do it the day after.

"I suppose I could. Perhaps after the funeral."

"When will it be?" Sango asked, knowing full well that the funeral would more than likely fall on the same day as the competition.

"Tomorrow, I think."

"But what about the social protocol? Won't people expect a viewing of the body, a large service – all the bells and whistles that go with these society deaths?"

"No, I think not. A private ceremony for close friends and family only should be sufficient. My mother hasn't been a part of society for ten years. No one will even notice, let alone care. On the odd chance that someone does care, they can always send me a floral arrangement or a casserole."

"Naraku is going to hate that."

Miroku smiled. "Yes, I'm sure he's heard about her death by now and has approached Sesshoumaru with our withdrawal papers. But I called this morning and told him that the show will go on."

* * *

By all accounts, Sesshoumaru was not a morning person. He woke at five in the morning every day, but the purpose was to give him a head start on the daily paperwork. By ten he was a social creature, but any time before that was dangerous. Even his own secretary and personal assistants would avoid him before ten. Jaken was the one exception, but even the little toad-man was careful in his actions and words so as to avoid any sort of conflict with his master.

When Onigumo Naraku showed up at his office at eight with a manila envelope in tow, Jaken knew that there would be a smack down in the executive office. He cleared out the few staffers before leaning up against the door to eavesdrop on the sure to be heated conversation.

Sesshoumaru didn't even bother to look up when Naraku entered. Nor did he look up when Naraku sat down. Instead he stayed focused on the paperwork hoping his visitor would take the hint and leave.

No such luck.

Naraku was just as stubborn as Sesshoumaru, and decided to initiate the conversation. "I've heard of the passing of Tsukiko Miyamoto."

Sesshoumaru didn't answer.

"She's the mother of your drummer, if I'm not mistaken."

Still no answer.

"Also, if I'm not mistaken, the funeral will be on the day of the competition."

Silence.

"Which is a pity. I've brought the paperwork to formally withdraw your band from the competition. Really, all I need is your signature in a couple of places and we'll be done."

Sesshoumaru made an odd noise in this throat, which sounded distinctly like a rather feral growl. "Get out."

"Now, now, no need to get your underwear in a bunch. I was merely taking into consideration that a family member has died and that they will be unavailable."

"You make it sound like you caused her to die," Sesshoumaru answered icily. "Were you that scared that we'd wipe the floor with your pathetic excuse for a band that you had to resort to murder to assure your win?"

Naraku was unfazed by the blatant accusation. "Such a ridiculous notion. I merely want to respect the family in their time of loss."

"The family is Miroku only, and for your information the funeral is tomorrow."

"No public production?"

"Just a private funeral. Every one will be at the competition, as planned. And they will win. You may now leave."

"How gracious of you, Lord Sesshoumaru. Then I will see you all in five days. Good day."

Sesshoumaru glared at Naraku's back until he'd left the office completely before settling back into his paperwork. His mind wandered back to the phone call he'd gotten earlier that morning, and how oddly relieved he was to hear Miroku's voice on the other end of the line.

_"Morning, sunshine."_

_"Miroku, this had better be important."_

_"I just wanted to let you know that I'm arranging Mother's funeral for tomorrow afternoon. There's no way I'm going to have it on the same day as the competition."_

_"Why? Shouldn't you hold a public viewing and a formal wake?"_

_"Why should I? You know as well as I do that Mother has been out of society for the last ten years. The only people who need to say farewell will be there. Izayoi knows, Koga's family knows, and really, they're the only people who need to be there. Mother, as ignorant as she was, knew how much I loved my music. She wouldn't want me to miss the competition for anything, not even her own death. The funeral is tomorrow afternoon. The show will go on."_

It had been oddly comforting to know that Miroku wasn't going to curl up and abandon his life just because his mother had died. If anything, this only served as more motivation for the young man to perform at his very best. Suddenly Sesshoumaru was struck with an idea. An idea that hinged on the cooperation of the rest of the band. Picking up the phone, Sesshoumaru dialed Inuyasha and hoped that his lead singer would support the decision.

* * *

The funeral was a small scale, private affair. The other band members and their families were present, as was Sango. She had been by Miroku's side constantly as he had sat in the solarium the whole day before, talking to florists and the proprietors of the crematorium.

The morning that Tsukiko was cremated, the special feast at the crematorium consisted of all of Tsukiko's favorite foods, which Izayoi had her kitchen staff prepare. The selection of food was varied, from traditional Japanese dishes to Tsukiko's favorite guilty pleasure, WacDonald's French fries.

Following the meal, Miroku, adorned in the traditional white family funeral robes, picked out the bones from Tsukiko's ashes and passed them around to the guests, each using a special pair of lacquered chopsticks. Following this, each guest paid 60,000 yen (Inuyasha paid for Kagome) and received a small floral arrangement in return. A second meal commenced as people recounted their memories of Tsukiko.

After each of the guests had left the crematorium, Miroku packed up the urn containing his mother's ashes and returned home, Sango at his side. Once to his house, he took it to the small traditional style room near the rear of the east wing and placed them on the shrine. The whole purpose of the room was for funerary purposes and Miroku couldn't enter the room without thinking about his father. Now he laid his mother's urn on the dias in the shrine and lit a stick of incense. Sango also lit a stick, and then gently touched Miroku's shoulder.

"You're hurting, I can tell," she said softly.

Placing his own hand on Sango's, Miroku sighed. "I took care of her. I forced her to bathe, to eat, and even get out of bed. Suddenly, I don't know what to do with myself."

"You have your music."

"I do. That's the only thing that's keeping me going."

"Then do what you do best. You're a heck of a musician. Your mother is proud of what you've accomplished."

Though Miroku wasn't sure of that, the fact that Sango had complemented his musical skills meant more than the word at that particular moment.

* * *

Thank goodness for the Internet. Not only does that mean that you get to read this, but it also means that I can do on-the-fly research for my fics. I used Japan Guide dot com for the information, which gave a very basic outline of Japanese funerary customs, which I happen to know that there are several variations of, but I went with the basic. Why? Because that's what Miroku wanted, duh. For the next thirty-five days (which I'm thinking that the story will wrap up in about seven) Miroku, Mushin and Hachi will be burning incense around the clock (no worries, special 12 hour sticks are just for night time use!). Now it's time to gear up for the big competition.

Please leave reviews! I love to hear from ya and I respond when I can!

Mercy-Angel-09


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